


Anything

by DawnOfTomorrow



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Pining, after a good helping of angst of course, even a bit of fighting because they ARE shinobi, far too many misunderstandings, happy endings all around, semi-stalker!Kakashi, unrequited (at first) love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 19:09:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16582358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnOfTomorrow/pseuds/DawnOfTomorrow
Summary: Hanako hadn’t been a teacher at Konoha’s academy for long. Originally from a small village near the border to the land of rivers, she had been excited when she was asked to teach at Konoha’s academy. After nearly five months in Konoha, she had settled in nicely. So nicely, in fact, that she had even gotten herself a boyfriend – one Iruka Umino. He was amazing to be with - every single day, he left her a small gift on her desk, no matter how busy he was...or at least, that's what she thought.Turns out, she was wrong. About many things, actually. The weird silver-haired jounin that seemed to take pleasure in watching her for one. The gifts, too. Her own feelings? As if! Unless...





	1. Chapter 1

Hanako hadn’t been a teacher at Konoha’s academy for long. Originally from a small village near the border to the land of rivers, she had been excited when she was asked to teach at Konoha’s academy. It was a big step up from the small town she’d been living in, and she’d been more than excited to accept the position.

After nearly five months in Konoha, she had settled in nicely. So nicely, in fact, that she had even gotten herself a boyfriend – one Iruka Umino. The teacher had been asked by the Hokage to help her settle into her life in Konoha, and he had been happy to do so – they had hit it off immediately.

After about a week of them having lunches together, a nervous Iruka had introduced her to his favourite former student – more of a younger brother, really, according to the man. They had had dinner with him, his team and their current teacher. Naruto had proven to be a sweet boy if a little...excitable.

All in all, Hanako had approved of him, and if the boy’s wolf-whistle was anything to go by, he had approved of her as well – not that she hadn’t been grateful when his teacher, a Kakashi Hatake, had smacked him over the head for his behaviour.

Slightly awkward dinner aside, Hanako and Iruka had been getting along spectacularly, enough so that when he had given her flowers and, while blushing furiously, asked her to be his girlfriend, she had accepted. That had been some three and a half months ago. She liked working together with her boyfriend. They taught different subjects to the same class, meaning they saw a fair lot of each other.

She didn’t mind that, not in the least. Coming to class first thing in the morning was actually one of her favourite parts of the day. Inevitably, every morning, she would find some small gift that Iruka had left for her on her desk. It was a different gift every day, and it had started the day after she had met Naruto for the first time.

The very first gift had been a small chocolate rose. She had thought it had been a gift from one of her students, but given the early hour, it could only be one person – Iruka. It was a game they played – every morning, there would be a gift. At first, she’d tried to thank him for it, but he had feigned ignorance, had suggested that maybe it had been students after all…

For a little while, she’d almost believed it, at least until the gift that had waited for her there had been a pair of pretty earrings – chocolates, flowers and the like could easily have been from students, but expensive jewellery, not so much. She’d put the earrings in, and over lunch, Iruka had complimented them.

Hanako hadn’t changed them since she’d liked them so much. Over the next few weeks and eventually months, the gifts had changed a little – they’d gotten more expensive, more elaborate. One she had particularly liked had been a little glass paperweight. It was shaped like a little dog, and she had left it on her desk, used it to keep students’ homework in place when they handed it in.

The students liked it well enough, and it cheered Hanako up when she had a bad day. What, given her proximity to her kind and attentive boyfriend while doing work she loved could constitute a bad day? Well, the answer to that particular question was currently sitting in a tree outside of Hanako’s classroom window. 

Kakashi Hatake, Naruto’s current teacher. He and Iruka didn’t get along too well and it was obvious that the jounin enjoyed teasing her boyfriend. Since Iruka had...a bit of a temper when teased, the two of them clashing often ended in one screaming and the other one laughing.

That wouldn’t be Hanako’s problem – in fact, it hadn’t been, not at first. She hadn’t thought much of the quiet sarcastic man when they’d had dinner together, having been pre-occupied with the blonde boy and his energetic attitude, so when she had seen the silver-haired man the next day, she had just nodded hello and moved along.

When three days later she’d run into him inside the academy, she’d nodded hello and moved along, though she was aware that he really had no reason to be in the school. When just after that, she had found him sitting on the windowsill of her classroom, she’d shooed him away because he was disrupting her class, her students wondering why a jounin was sitting in their class.

The next time, he’d been sitting in a tree, watching her class. It rather drove her mad. She’d always admonish him and send him on his way when he interrupted her classes, but usually, he didn’t – usually he just watched from the tree, at least after being sent away the first few times. 

It wasn’t every day either, and not the entire day – a few hours per day, a few days per week, maximum. It drove her mad because he refused to explain it. He also refused to stop it. Being wildly outranked by the jounin, there wasn’t much she could actually do to stop him, of course – until he actually stepped foot into her classroom. 

Hanako was...protective of her students, and no jounin looking for cheap thrills would mess with it. Frowning, already aware that his presence this early signaled a long day ahead, she sat at her desk. There, in the middle of said desk, sat a little wrapped box. 

It was small, no bigger than two inches in length, height, and width. Silver in colour, the box was tied together with a peach coloured bow. Gently pulling it open, she glanced out the window at the bothersome jounin. He was reading his little book, something else she rather disliked – who read porn in public after all?

With a sigh, she pulled off the bow. Smiling at the soft orange-pink shade of the satin band, she opened up the braid her hair had been tied in. Open, it hung to the middle of her back in straight, dark-brown tresses. The colour wasn’t particularly exciting, but she’d always liked it. Shaking it out a little, she tilted her head back in order to tie it up again with the bow from her gift.

Before she could do so, however, hands that decidedly weren’t hers snuck into her hair. She knew it wasn’t Iruka – he was on mission desk duty and thus not even at the academy. She loved that he still had found the time to drop off her gift. Tense, and tilting back further in her chair, she saw that they belonged to one Kakashi Hatake.

Eyes wide, she clutched the edge of her desk. For all his quiet bothering of her, he never came anywhere near her, not in the three-plus months they’d been playing his stupid game. He’d never touched her at all, not that she was aware anyway. But now, now he was touching her, was running gloved fingers through her hair, combing out a few tangles.

“Hatake-san? What are you doing?” The man chuckled. “I’m helping out a fellow teacher, of course. And I’ve told you to call me Kakashi multiple times.” She huffed. “Yes, you have. I’ll listen to it when YOU stop bothering me in my classroom.” His fingers paused briefly, then resumed their motions.

Hanako wasn’t entirely comfortable with the touch – while she liked having her hair played with, she most certainly did NOT like it when strangers did it. Nevertheless, she didn’t stop him – she wasn’t keen on the confrontation, not in her vulnerable position. “Mah, you said to stop bothering you during classes. Class doesn’t start for a while yet.” He wasn’t wrong. “Fair enough. I’ll be a little less specific next time.” Gathering her hair up in one hand, he reached for the peach bow. She was a little impressed when in just a few moments and with minimal tugs and pulls, he had tied it for her.

Tilting her head forward a little, she found that it actually...sat quite nicely. She’d hoped to have a reason to take it back down. “Are you satisfied now that you’ve played with my hair a little?” Spinning in her chair, she was surprised when a sharp tug stopped the motion – he hadn’t let go of her hair yet. 

Sighing, she accepted that she would just have to deal with this – one of Konoha’s most feared shinobi, standing outside of her field of vision, doing something she couldn’t see to her hair. “No, not quite yet.” Well, she’d guessed as much when he hadn’t let go. She vaguely felt him separate off some of her hair in a light tug, letting the rest of it fall against her back.

“And what is it that you’re after? Wait, no, you won’t answer that, so let me rephrase the question.” He chuckled behind her, rhythmically moving the hair he was still holding. “What can I do in order for you to leave me be so I can prepare for class?” She’d learned quickly that the more straight-forward a question was, the less likely he was to answer it.

“Hanako-sensei...if you want me to go away so badly, all you have to do is ask. But then I won’t be able to finish this.” Hanako pursed her lips. He didn’t normally lie, so if he said he’d leave, he probably would. Since she still had no idea what he was doing, she thought it might be safer to let him finish. He was hardly acting like he was a threat anyway, and whatever he did, she could undo it when he left.

“Aren’t you going to open that?” His question reminded her that although she’d played with the bow, she had yet to actually look at her real gift. Focusing her attention back to the small box, she gently pried open the cardboard. Inside it was yet another box – a velvet-covered one that seemed like it would contain jewellery.

Taking it out gently, she held her breath as she opened it. She’d gotten jewellery once or twice before – the earrings she wore every day, a brooch she wore occasionally with civilian clothing, and a pair of silver bracelets, she kept stashed away for a special occasion.

This box, however, contained no such thing. Inside it was a pendant. It was rather beautiful, she had to admit. Silver strands interwove to form a circle, or more accurately, an oval. In the middle of it, seemingly floating but supported by a few silver threads, was a diamond. It was cut in a princess shape and as she lifted it out of the box, she saw that it caught the sun in just the right the way. It had been pretty in the box, but outside it was breath-taking.

“Wow! Look at this! It must have cost him a fortune...” The man behind her huffed. “It’s pretty, I suppose. So it’s a necklace today, huh?” She knew the jounin knew of her daily gifts – he’d seen plenty of them already. Still fussing with the pendant, she turned it a little. There was an engraving on the back of the clasp that held the diamond within the construct. At first, she thought it was a letter, but it was a stylised flame symbol.

Sighing, she moved to undo the clasp of the necklace the pendant was hung on. Before she could place it around her neck though, deft fingers snatched it from her grasp. Kakashi had let go of her hair and taken the necklace. “Hey!” “Mah, relax. I’m just going to put it on you. You’ll struggle on your own.” Given the tiny clasp, he probably wasn’t wrong...but that didn’t mean that Hanako had to like it.

Crossing her arms before her chest, she nodded tersely. To her relief, Kakashi didn’t do anything strange. He simply placed the necklace around her neck, lifted her hair out of the way and fastened the clasp, all without so much as brushing her skin. 

Now free to move, she spun around in her chair to look at the masked jounin. “Thanks...so, you’re done with my hair then?” The man shrugged. “Aren’t you going to check what I did to it?” Hanako squinted at him, reaching back to her ponytail. It wasn’t hard to find what he’d done – about a fourth of her hair was braided in what felt like a four-strand braid. Running her hand down its length, it felt perfectly even and not a hair was out of place.

“So you came in here just to mess with my hair and braid it?” He was grinning under his mask, she was sure of it. “Do I need another reason, sensei?” Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head. “No, this is bad enough. I’d much rather you not find MORE reasons to intrude.” He leaned against the blackboard behind him.

“Is that so? I AM a teacher, you know, and this is a school.” She had hoped he would just leave once he was done with her hair, but no such luck apparently. “Then where are your students?” “Preparing for our mission I’d imagine. We leave at noon.” She perked up. If it was a longer mission, she’d have peace, at least for a while.

“Where are you going?” He narrowed his visible eye at her for a moment. “Wave country. You’ll be rid of me for at least a week. Try not to miss me too much.” She snorted, a genuine smile playing at her lips. As much as the man annoyed her, she did enjoy his sense of humour at times.

“Well if you’re going to stay here, sit down so I can look at my lesson plan.” She half expected him to protest at being spoken to like that, and she could see it in his eye for a moment...but then he nodded and sat in the front row of her classroom. 

Picking up her lesson plan book, she flipped to the correct page. Taking it out of its designated spot, she pursed her lips at it. There wasn’t much that needed preparing actually...but she’d tried to use it as an excuse t get rid of him, so now she had to do something at least. Leaning out of her chair, she picked up her bag to dig through a stack of homework she’d already marked.

“Hatake-san… you can’t be comfortable like that.” She remarked after seeing how...squished he looked in his seat, knees sticking out awkwardly. He was a very tall man after all. “Mah, your classroom is a little short of adult-sized seats.”

Frowning, she looked at him again. Then, with a sigh, lesson plan and homework in hand, she stood up. Dragging her chair behind her, she walked over to him. Dropping onto the bench next to him, she let go of her chair. “There, sit in that.” His eye widened quite a bit. Despite that, he stood, obediently enough, and sat in the chair.

“Thank you, Hanako-sensei. Won’t you be uncomfortable now?” She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m a lot shorter after all. See? I fit.” She wriggled in the seat a little and he nodded. Truthfully, she was a LITTLE uncomfortable, but since she was over half a foot shorter and much slimmer, it really wasn’t very fair of her to make him suffer.

Though…he had been the one who wanted to stay. Rubbing her forehead at the headache she was giving herself, she thumbed through the homework and separated it into two stacks. Kakashi was watching her carefully, clearly curious. “You can ask if you want to know.” “Won’t that get me thrown out?” His voice was teasing.

Hanako smirked. “Possibly. But then I might throw you out anyway, so what’s the difference, really?” He nodded. “So...one stack for the students you like and one for the ones you don’t like?” Hanako shook her head. “One stack for the ones that did well-” She pointed at the taller stack. “And one for the ones that either failed because they didn’t understand the material or because they were taking the piss.”

Kakashi chuckled. “Are teachers supposed to talk like that?” She gave him an incredulous look. “Hatake-san, right now, what is it that you’ve got in your pocket?” The man gave her a wide-eyed look before coughing lightly. Rethinking what she’d said, Hanako closed her eyes in embarrassment. “The book, I mean your book.”

With a bright smile visible even under his mask, he pulled his Icha Icha novel out. Holding out her hand, she was surprised when he handed it over. Going by his expression, he was surprised too. Flipping through a few pages of the book, she returned to their earlier topic. “Now, why in the world would someone who reads THIS in clear sight of children, question the way I talk?”

“Mah, Hanako-sensei, that’s fair...Can I have that back?” She smirked, flipping a little further in the book, enjoying how for once it was him that was uncomfortable and not her. Not that she had any interest in the book itself – smut did nothing for her. Watching the jounin squirm, she pretended to focus more closely on one of the pages. 

If she hadn’t been watching him, she’d never have caught the movement in time, but she was, and she did. Just as he was about to dart forwards for the book, she jumped back and out of his reach, landing on the desk of the last row. Kakashi ended up sitting on the front row desk, a small smile in his exposed eye.

“Not bad sensei, but now you’ve backed yourself into a corner.” Still holding the book with one hand, she raised the other to form a seal. “That’s what you think, Hatake-san. You are, however, mistaken.” “Oh? He squinted at her, and with one swift motion, reached for his hitai-ate. She waited for him to pull it off, waited for him to reveal the sharingan...but he didn’t.

Instead, with a slow grin, he nodded. “Go on then, if you think you can escape.” Hanako smiled. She may only be a chuunin, but that didn’t make her weak. Hand still held in the seal, she summoned her chakra to anchor herself in place. Sending a thread of chakra to her papers, she locked them in place too. There weren’t very many other movable things in the room, so she was confident she could use her power safely.

Gathering a little more chakra in her chest, she took a deep breath. Spinning the air she breathed in in her lungs, she pursed her lips and blew. Kakashi was a moment too slow to dodge – he hadn’t figured out her hand seal was only to help her focus, not an indication of an actual jutsu. He was hit square in the chest by her attack – a tightly curled whirlwind that knocked him backward. Luckily for her, he was in a direct line to an open window, and so got knocked clear through it. 

Looking around, she was satisfied that, other than a poster coming loose and her bag tipping over, nothing else had moved. Releasing her chakra, she smiled to herself and hopped to the window. Looking outside, she couldn’t see the man anywhere. She doubted he’d left without his precious book, so she looked around – only for a slightly painful tug on her hair to stop her.

She cursed internally – he was above her, sitting on the wall, and he’d grabbed hold of her ponytail. Reaching backward, she pried his fingers off with a wince. He really had grabbed it a little too hard. Turning around, she came face to face with a grinning jounin.

“Not bad. I expected you to try and get away, not to attack.” Sitting on the windowsill so she wouldn’t have to crane her neck backward, she handed him his book. He accepted it with surprise clearly visible in his one eye.

“With all due respect, Hatake-san...there’s no way I could get past you on skill alone. So there were really only three options. Trick you, surprise you, or overwhelm you on the chance I have more chakra than you. I don’t know if I could trick someone who knows over a thousand jutsu, and I certainly wasn’t going to risk pitting myself against you either, so that left me with a surprise.”

He nodded, thoughtfully, putting his book back into his pocket. “Well thought-out, sensei.” She smiled weakly at the compliment. It was...nice to be complimented by a ninja as powerful as him, even if he was only humouring her, and even though he’d been annoying her constantly. 

He was a lot less annoying now – Hanako had enjoyed their little moment of competition, playful as it had been. She didn’t get much chance to flex her skills dealing with kids all the time. “You say you know you couldn’t have beaten me by skill, but you think you could have overwhelmed me with chakra? You named it as a possibility.”

Hanako shrugged. “I’m only a chuunin, Hatake-san, but I’ve always had a stupid amount of chakra. It’s not entirely impossible I could have more than you. Uh...no offense.” She awkwardly finished, hoping she hadn’t offended him too much. He frowned. “None taken. To be honest, my chakra reserve isn’t great. I’m average at best.” Hanako blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected a confession like that, not from someone like Kakashi Hatake, and certainly not to a stranger like her.

“If you’re so powerful, why did you stop at being a chuunin?” Hanako sighed. “That’s a personal question, isn’t it?” “I’ve told you something personal about me, haven’t I?” She frowned up at the man above her. There really wasn’t a reason not to tell – it was pretty public knowledge anyway. The only thing that kept her from telling him was pride – she wanted to repay him for all of his teasing.

“Hm...I’ll tell you if you answer a question in return.” She expected him to refuse, weasel his way out or plain leave, but after a moment, he nodded. “Alright. Well, I like teaching. Never really wanted to do much else. I’ve also not got enough A-rank missions to qualify for the exam. Add to that the fact that the skills I have aren’t necessarily very helpful in combat...” She shrugged. “I like where I am in life. That’s the main reason.” Kakashi nodded above her, expression thoughtful.

“So, what’s your question for me?” She had almost forgotten and smirked. “Why do you always hang around my classroom? Is it to annoy Iruka?” Kakashi scoffed. “Is that what you think? I visit you because...it’s fun. I get bored easily.” She snorted. “And watching a teacher deal with a bunch of snot-nosed kids is your idea of fun? If so, why don’t YOU teach at the academy?”

He visibly shuddered. “No thank you. I’m definitely the type that prefers getting hurt on missions to dealing with little kids. Not to mention, I’ve seen how the brats listen to you. That...presence is something you either have or don’t...and looking at my team, I certainly don’t have it.”

Hanako bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Turning away from him so he wouldn’t see the expression in her face, she shifted back into the room and off the windowsill. Kakashi followed, dropping to the spot she’d sat in a moment ago.

“That...presence as you call it, is nothing other than years of concentrated annoyance refined into a single expression. It doesn’t just work on kids either.” “Oh?” She grinned. “No. It’s what I use to make annoying jounin sit in far too small seats.” For a moment his expression was bland, then he chuckled. “So I’m on the same level as your students, ey?” Hanako considered her response. She was enjoying their banter, but she had no illusion that if she overstepped the line, she’d have a very pissed off and dangerous jounin on her hands instead of an amused and dangerous one. Deciding to take her chances, she replied in as calm a voice as she could manage.

“No, Hatake-san. My students know better than to...pull my ponytail.” He snickered again. “But sensei, it’s so fun!” She glared at him then, mouth open for another retort when the door slid open behind her. Spinning around, she wasn’t all that surprised to find that her students had started to filter in.

Turning back to the window, she found it empty, the jounin gone – completely, a glance to the tree opposite showed. Shaking her head, she collected her things from a confused Moegi’s desk and quickly set the rest of the room back to rights. Annoying jounin indeed…


	2. Chapter 2

Hanako didn’t see hide nor hair of Kakashi again for more than two weeks. She briefly entertained that he was simply busy, or maybe had lost interest, until she heard from Iruka that the man had been injured on his mission. Though his focus was mostly on Naruto when he told her the story, Hanako was still surprised to hear that the man had spent all of his time back in the hospital.

She did nothing about it for several days. Eventually though, after running into Naruto and Sakura, and after asking them about his health, to which they replied they didn’t know, she decided to visit him. She fully expected her visit to be unwelcome – they were hardly friends after all, but she still wanted to try.

So, after unwrapping her daily gift – a single, purple rose wrapped in tissue paper – and finishing her classes, she headed over to the hospital. The nurse on duty nearly had a stroke when she asked about Kakashi. Apparently, the man didn’t really get visitors. Still, the nurse pointed her to the right room and Hanako went.

Knocking on the door before sliding it open, she wasn’t surprised to find that the man wore his mask even while asleep on a hospital bed. Having bought a small fruit basket for him, she hesitated in the door. Deciding it would probably be okay, she approached the bed of the sleeping man. He didn’t stir. Looking at him, he didn’t look injured – other than the large scar that ran through the eye normally covered by his hitai-ate, but she could see it was years old.

Sighing, she put down the little basket, taking out one of the apples and setting it close to the edge – close enough to reach if he wanted to. With another look at his bed, she left, unwilling to wake or disturb the man. Nodding at the nurse, she went home to Iruka who to her surprise had cooked for her.

Heart swelling with affection for her generous lover, she placed the rose she’d received from him on her night-stand when she finally got home. They didn’t live together – after four months, they practically saw each other constantly, but they weren’t quite ready to take the plunge yet. That didn’t stop them from spending nearly every evening together, and that was on top of their lunch-breaks, which were also spent together.

Her colleagues referred to their relationship as sickeningly sweet in a mockingly jealous tone – Hanako was okay with that. She knew what she had in Iruka, after all. He made her happy. Of course, so did her students. As her birthday rolled around, they had bought her a flower bouquet – two of them had carried it together because it was just too huge.

Hanako had had to fight back tears, unwilling to cry before her students. She had failed miserably, hugging all the little brats as they congratulated her, one at a time. After classes had let out, she had stayed behind. Iruka was busy at the mission desk, having already congratulated her quite...thoroughly that morning.

Huge flower bouquet before her, Hanako was sniffling a little. Her daily gift was sitting, nearly forgotten, at the edge of her desk. A sudden rustling noise drew her attention to the window. To her shock, one Kakashi Hatake was sitting there, waving at her.

“Yo!” She jumped up. “Hatake-san! I haven’t seen you in ages!” He shrugged. “Did you miss me? Mah, I got hurt on my last mission. Was bed-ridden for a while.” She sighed. “I know. I visited you once but you were asleep.” He gave her a strange look, a mix of frown and curiosity but didn’t acknowledge what she’d said.

“So...are you all better now?” He nodded. “Chakra is still low, but at least they let me out of the hospital.” Carefully studying the man, she noticed that he was holding himself a little oddly – he was probably in a bit of pain. “Come in. Have a seat.” She offered him her chair and surprise was evident in his face.

After a moment that seemed like an eternity, he hopped down, with a wince and dropped into her chair. “I’ll be right back. Don’t touch anything.” Giving him a stern look, she dashed out of her classroom and down the hall to the teacher’s lounge. Quickly fixing two cups of tea, she carried them back to her room.

Almost to her surprise, Kakashi was still sitting there, apparently really not having touched anything. “Here. Have some tea.” He frowned. “You didn’t have to...” “It’s okay. It’ll be good for you. It’s specifically for chakra replenishment. Though...I drink it because I like the taste.” She grinned and watched him sip the tea through his mask.

Even with the thing on, she could see that he pulled a grimace. “...Thank you, Hanako-sensei.” Mouth pressed into a thin line, she turned on her heel and went back to the teacher’s lounge. Upon her return, the man had once again not moved. Pouring the small cup of milk into his teacup with a sigh, she motioned for him to try again.

He did. This time, his expression was a lot more appreciative. “I didn’t think you’d want sugar.” Carefully shaking his head, he replied: “I’m not a fan of sweet things.” She smiled, not surprised at all – not that she knew the man that well.

After a long silence in which they each sipped tea, he spoke up again. “So between the flowers and the gift, I’m guessing it’s either your birthday or Iruka proposed?” Nearly choking on her tea, she set the cup down. “Hatake-san! For god’s sake! No, he didn’t propose. We don’t even live together yet. It’s my birthday.” He smirked. “Happy birthday then, sensei. I wish I’d known. I’d have gotten you a gift too.”

Hanako laughed softly. “That’s fine, Hatake-san. You weren’t to know...besides, you don’t have to get me anything.” “Mah, you got me that fruit basket, didn’t you?” She nodded. “I was surprised. I don’t normally get many visitors.” She snorted. “I know. The nurse I asked for your room number looked like she needed a shot of something strong after I left.”

A wolfish grin visible under his mask, Kakashi snickered. “I’m...not the most popular at the hospital. They pull lots for who has to deal with me.” Vaguely unimpressed that he was proud of that, she couldn’t resist asking about it. “What makes you so horrible then? Feeling up the nurses? Reading porn?” He snickered. “No. I don’t like the hospital much so I avoid it. I’ve been known to...escape before they were done with me.” Suddenly suspicious of his presence in her classroom, she inspected him more closely.

Casually walking over to him, she formed four hand seals she had learned from her mother a long time ago and before the man had time to react to it, she had slapped her hands down on his shoulders. A moment later, she backed away.

“Chakra exhaustion. A fractured rib. Inflammation of the shoulder consistent with dislocation. Muscle-tears and tendonitis in both legs...Hatake-san, you should be in a hospital NOW.” Instead of replying, he shot her a calculating glance. Hanako put her hands on her hips and gave him her sternest looks.

“That’s an impressive jutsu. Are you a trained medic-nin?” She shook her head. “No, but my mother was before she retired. She taught me a lot of field medic skills. That one’s useful for quick diagnoses.” He nodded, thoughtfully. “I can see that.” Annoyed that he still hadn’t acknowledged the fact that he belonged in the hospital, she tapped her fingers on her desk.

“You belong in a bed, Hatake-san. Preferably, a hospital one.” Waving her off, he picked up her gift and started playing with it. It was a long box that day, long and slim, a deep red box with a white ribbon. “I’ll make you a deal, Hanako-sensei...I’ll go back to the hospital if I can weave this into your hair?” With a quick motion, he pulled free the white ribbon. It was made of a relatively stiff velvet material. 

Nodding before she could even process what she’d agreed to, she closed her eyes in annoyance. The man was injured, had been in the hospital for weeks already and STILL had the time to annoy her? And she’d agreed to it too.

Ignoring what she was sure was a triumphant smile on his masked face, she turned her back to him and sat on the floor before his chair. Reaching for her hair, placed in a bun as it was, she pulled out the three clips that held it in place and let it swing free. It was a nice feeling – as much as a bun was convenient, releasing it after a long day felt good.

For a moment, so did his fingers on her scalp – she’d had a slight headache, and his gentle fingers soothed it away. Then she remembered who the fingers belonged to and stiffened. As if sensing her discomfort, he pulled his fingers back a little, combing through the lengths of her hair instead of massaging her scalp.

She expected him to give her a ponytail, but he didn’t. Instead, he lifted sections of her hair from behind her ears and pulled them together in the back. She heard more than she felt him tie the ribbon in, before picking up a few more strands and braiding it all together. He had said weaving, but she hadn’t quite thought he meant that seriously,

Not too much later, he finished and she reached for the ribbon. Before she could touch it though, her hand was stopped. His fingers encircled her wrist with gentle pressure. She paused, waiting for him to let go. “Mah, sensei, you haven’t even looked at your gift yet. Just playing with the packaging is rude, don’t you know?”

She snorted. “You’re just curious what’s in it. Fine, give me the box.” He released her wrist and handed her the red box. Prying it open eagerly now that she’d been reminded it was there, she gasped when the gift on the inside was revealed to be a single rose – made of what looked like pure gold.

Kakashi whistled behind her as she picked the flower up. It was heavy in her hand, and though it looked fragile enough, she could feel it was solid. Turning it every which way, she eventually held it up for the man behind her to see. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Sighing, the man replied. “I suppose. He has good taste, doesn’t he? Don’t you get sick of the gifts?”

He sounded so bored that she shot up and around before she’d even registered it properly. “No way! Giving me these is his way of showing me he loves me. I wouldn’t trade them for the world!” Surprised by the fact that she could see both surprise and a little bit of...discomfort in his eye, she backed off a little, still clutching the rose.

“Sorry about that, Hatake-san. But the point stands. I love the gifts. I don’t even care if it’s a single chocolate or something elaborate like this. They’re thoughtful, and I love that.” “Just like you love him, hm?” His voice held more derision than she liked. Frowning, she set the rose back into its box. “That’s right.” He growled. “No decent shinobi would be this soft.” 

Hanako had had enough. Slapping her hand down on her desk, she leaned so close to him that their noses were nearly touching. “I don’t know why you’re suddenly being nasty, Hatake-san, but I suggest you cut it out. I don’t appreciate you talking down to my boyfriend that way.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Also, if you think that love is a weakness, you’re not as great a shinobi as the world seems to think you are. Love makes you stronger, not weaker. Love gives you something to protect. Without that, what reason do you have to fight?”

Backing away, she shivered lightly, aware that she had just spoken out of turn to one of the most dangerous men in Konoha, but also unwilling to back down. “I suggest you think about that on your way back to the hospital.” With that, she pointed at her window. A spark of defiance entered his gaze, but before he could say anything else, she growled at him. “Out of my classroom. Now.”

He left. He left, and he didn’t come back for a long time after that. In fact, it wasn’t until after her and Iruka’s 6-month anniversary that she saw him again. He didn’t approach her, just perched on that tree. Hanako briefly considered setting fire to it, then shook her head and continued her class.

Four consecutive days of visits later, he was grating on her nerves. Iruka was away on a mission, so she couldn’t even have lunch with him to complain – not that she did that much since he didn’t like her talking about Kakashi, something she could empathise with quite well.

During the lunch break, with the students in the lunch hall, she calmly opened a window to the outside. Pulling a kunai from her pouch, she tossed it at the jounin, whose nose was buried in his book. He caught it out of reflex, startled when he looked at the weapon and then at the woman that had thrown it. For a moment she thought he’d throw it back, but he didn’t.

Instead, he dropped from his tree, pocketed his book and walked away. Hanako watched him, a little offended that he’d just kept her kunai. The next morning though, she found two gifts on her table. One was a box of exotic teas from the land of water, the other was her kunai, a big pink ribbon tied to the end. She pulled the ribbon off and frowned.

Hanako hated pink. Always had, always would. She couldn’t help but think though, that the ribbon was a peace offering...and she was willing to accept. So, with a groan, she wrapped her neat braid up into a bun and tied it in place with the hideous ribbon before making herself a cup of tea with one of the teas from her gift.

It was lovely.

By the end of the school day, she was frowning to herself. As much as Kakashi had obviously dropped off the blasted kunai, he hadn’t actually shown up that day. That made it a little difficult for her to show him that she’d forgiven him by wearing the horrible ribbon.

So, after class, she did something she almost never did – she visited her boyfriend at his other job. She knew Iruka liked the mission desk. It was a chance to talk to adults rather than children, and she could understand why he liked that. Normally she didn’t bother him there – they weren’t like that, despite what people seemed to think.

They didn’t have to be with each other every single hour of every day. Still, she figured there was a chance Kakashi would be there, or that someone would know where he was. Either option was good because she could simply walk past him, and hopefully, he’d get it, and then she could burn the ugly ribbon.

Greeting familiar jounin and chuunin on the way past her, she arrived at the mission desk in no time at all. It really wasn’t a long walk from the academy there, and she caught Iruka in the middle of his shift. He was happy to see her of course, excited that she’d stopped by to visit him. Seeing him so excited was adorable – his emotions readily showed on his face, and it was one of her favourite things about the man.

After convincing him to shirk his duty for just a few minutes, they were leaning against a wall in the hallway, acting precisely like the lovesick couple they were often accused of being. Iruka was just nuzzling her neck while she was mock-fighting him off, giggling all the while, when someone cleared their throat.

Half-fearing it might be the Hokage, Hanako was relieved when it was the man she’d been looking for – Kakashi. He was looking at them with a frown, hands in his pockets. “Is ‘Get a room’ the thing to say here?” Iruka scoffed at the other man – their rivalry had hardly gotten better as time passed. “It would be if it was any of your business.” Placing a calming hand on the irate chuunin's arm, she smiled weakly at Kakashi.

Turning her head to whisper to Iruka, she made it a point to turn far enough that the ribbon was visible. Whispering to Iruka that he should probably head back to his desk, the man gave a jerky nod and walked off. She sighed, watching him stalk to his spot. “Thanks for the rescue.” The man’s voice was pure mockery.

“Excuse me for not wanting to get caught in one of your childish spats in the middle of the Hokage tower.” Kakashi crossed his arms and sized her up. Fighting down a shiver, she met his gaze head-on. “Childish?” Hanako mimicked his stance, a feeling of satisfaction deep within her when he faltered a little at the sight.

“Yes, Hatake-san. Childish.” “I’m not the one with a pink ribbon in my hair.” Hanako felt her eye twitch in anger. Yanking the ribbon from her hair, she threw it at the other man. “Well, then I suppose YOU shouldn’t have given me it if it’s SO childish.” With that, she walked off.

Truly angry at him for the first time since he had begun teasing her, she stalked straight home, fun flirtation with Iruka forgotten. Immensely grateful that it was Sunday the next day, and thus she had no classes, Hanako decided to spend the day moping. She’d earned it after all – after dealing with Kakashi without physically hurting him, she definitely deserved a day off.

She spent it reading a novel – the second in a series of three. It had been her daily gift several days ago. It meant a lot – she knew how much Iruka liked to read, and she really liked the tales he’d selected for her. The books weren’t as dry as what he himself liked to read, so obviously, some care had gone into their selection.

Content to spend the day on her couch in her pajamas reading, she actually enjoyed the fact that it was raining – while she couldn’t stand the rain normally, the calming prattle of the water against her window cheered her up a lot that day.

When it was still raining on Monday morning, she changed her mind on the matter rather quickly. Having seen the weather report for the day, she left exceptionally early, getting to school nearly an hour earlier than usual. It was supposed to rain a lot more the rest of the day and even with an umbrella, she preferred making the walk with as little rain as possible.

It was her dislike of rain that, ultimately, ended up changing things. The dislike of rain was what made her get to school early. It was what made her stalk straight to her classroom to drop her things off rather than dropping into the teacher’s lounge first like she normally did. It was this dislike that led to a discovery she’d have almost rather not made. Because, just as she was about to open her classroom-door, she saw movement behind the semi-transparent door. Ducking to the side, she peered through a little gap in the paper and wood door.

She had indeed seen movement there – she’d almost expected it to be Iruka, possibly dropping off her gift. She’d never caught him doing so, had never had the slightest intention of doing so, enjoying his thoughtfulness as she had been. But no, it wasn’t Iruka. Cursing her dislike of rain, seeing how it had led her to her door at that exact moment, she watched one Kakashi Hatake place a small white box on her desk. He set it down, picked it back up, set it back down and adjusted it’s position a little. 

Then he sat in her chair, briefly running his hands across the desk. Crossing his arms, she watched him lay his head on his arms for just a moment. He looked like he may have been sleeping, head pillowed on his arms like that, but after a long moment, he pulled away. She watched him walk to the window, an almost...sorrowful expression visible on his face even without the mask. Then he jumped out of her window, no umbrella, not even an additional jacket. Carefully focusing on chakra signatures in the area, she found none other than her own – he was gone.

Carefully entering the room, almost expecting traps, she approached the small white package. It looked exactly like other ones she’d received – if past gifts were anything to go by, it would contain an elaborate chocolate construct that would taste divine, even as she regretted eating it because it was so pretty.

But...that’s what it would contain if it was from Iruka. This one clearly wasn’t. She checked it for traps, finding none. It looked just like every other box. Briefly entertaining the thought that maybe Iruka had asked the other man to drop it off, she shook her head. That was nonsense. He couldn’t stand the jounin, he wouldn’t ask him for a favour like that.

No, this was something else. Carefully opening the white box, she squinted when she saw the contents – it was, indeed, a fancy chocolate creation. What was Kakashi playing at? Carefully licking the sculpted lily, she found it to be delicious. That just made her more suspicious. Closing the box and putting it in her bag, she vowed to investigate this in more detail.


	3. Chapter 3

After an excruciatingly slow day, Hanako declined Iruka’s dinner invitation and instead went to bed early – she had to get up earlier than usual too, after all. So, the next morning, she found herself outside of her own classroom, chakra carefully masked, spying through the gap in the door.

She felt like an idiot, spying on her own classroom, but she also knew there was nobody else in the school yet – at least, there shouldn’t have been. Right on the dot, one hour before she normally arrived, a now much drier Kakashi hopped in through the window. In his hand was a small rectangular box in a bright yellow with a green bow. He set it down onto her desk, and after running his hand over the back of her chair a few times, he left.

Hanako was baffled. She couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on. Iruka had been giving her gifts for MONTHS, for practically the entire duration of their relationship. Darting into the classroom once he was gone and quickly snatching the box, she pulled off the bow quickly and opened the box itself. In it was a thin bracelet. She cursed.

Cursed again. Looked at the bracelet before her, then cursed some more. It was stunning. Thin, elegant and beautiful. It was also a perfect match to the pendant she wore practically every day. The bracelet too was made of thin strands of silver, wrapped around a diamond. Picking it out of its box, she held it into the light.

It was fully as stunning as the necklace. She put it on with a frown – what in the world was going on? It suddenly seemed quite likely that Kakashi had in fact been the one to give her these gifts. But...why? They didn’t know each other well at all. In fact, their only interactions had been a few short conversations and lots and lots of annoying hovering.

A headache already pounding in her temples, Hanako grabbed her bag, left a note in the teacher’s lounge explaining she’d be absent for the day, and went home. She needed to think. Being rather analytical, once home, she took out a blank sheet of paper and set to make a list.

On one hand she had evidence that the gifts were from Kakashi – she’d seen him drop them off TWICE. He’d been acting strangely both times. Iruka had acted like he didn’t know what she was talking about when she mentioned it, and she’d assumed it was a game. If he really hadn’t known, it was entirely possible…

She shook her head. The evidence that it WASN’T him side of the paper was far more conclusive-looking. The gifts had continued to come even when Kakashi was injured or gone from Konoha. The man didn’t know her well at all, certainly had no reason to give her expensive gifts. Her hand wound itself around her necklace.

She loved it, and she knew it was worth a fortune. Frowning at the list, she compared the two sides. Evidence suggested that the gifts certainly weren’t from him. But, if they weren’t from Iruka – and she actually could believe with some ease that they weren’t – who could they be from?

Why would Kakashi deliver them? What was going on? Her beloved Iruka, the kind and loving teacher that made her breakfast even if he was tired and would give her shoulder-rubs even after 11-hour days...he didn’t have a single deceptive bone in his body. If the gifts HAD been from him, he’d have given it away a long time ago, shinobi or not.

Other than Kakashi and Iruka, she didn’t really have any suspects for who could have given the gifts. Most of her colleagues were married, almost all of them happily, and what few non-work friends she had were also in relationships. There just wasn’t anyone it could be...which, by default meant it would be Kakashi.

Standing suddenly, she crumpled up the paper and threw it away. She was driving herself mad. No, Hanako was a shinobi and she would sort this out like a shinobi. Plan made, she stalked more than she walked to the Hokage tower. Iruka wasn’t there that day – he was teaching at the academy.

This left her free to walk to the mission room without being discovered by him – somehow she was relatively certain he wouldn’t approve of her plan. Spotting a friend of Iruka’s at the desk, she waved hello. “Oh good morning Hanako-chan! Iruka’s not here today.” Kotetsu smiled at her. “I know. I’m actually looking for someone else – any idea where I can find Kurenai?” The man frowned in confusion.

“Yes, actually… you missed her. She left on a mission an hour or so ago.” Hanako groaned. Of COURSE she was gone. “And Asuma?” He shook his head. “Uhm...” With a soft chuckle, Kotetsu interrupted her. “Is there something you need?” She shrugged. “Not particularly. It’s not a big deal...but I could use the help of a jounin...” Kotetsu shrugged. “Anko is around. Maybe ask her?”

Hanako laughed softly. “No, that’s okay. Honestly, it can wait. Thanks for the help, Kotetsu-kun.” Bowing lightly to the chuunin, she left the mission room. Sighing in frustration, she walked towards the exit, only to be stopped by a familiar voice. “Mah, if it’s a jounin you need, maybe I can help?”

Stiffening, she turned around to the man she found leaning against a wall behind her. Kakashi was, of course, the last one she wanted to see. “Hatake-san. While it’s...nice of you to offer, I’m afraid that just won’t do.” She bowed slightly and walked off, hoping the man would leave her be.

While she wasn’t mad at him any more, given her current predicament, she didn’t want him hanging around – she probably couldn’t fool him and the last thing she needed was him catching on to what she knew. Or rather, what she was trying to find out. Of course, Hanako wasn’t that lucky.

Falling in step behind her, Kakashi followed her. “Why is that? If it’s something you need a jounin’s skill for, surely I’d be the best?” Hanako bit her lip. “Well, maybe, but...I’d hate to take up that much of your time.” “Well, you seemed willing to take up the time of Kurenai and Asuma.” “It’s rude to listen to other people’s conversations.”

He chuckled. “If you’re going to have a private conversation, you probably shouldn’t have it in the mission room.” Shrugging, she stopped, just before the exit. “True enough. Have a good day, Hatake-san.” With that, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her before he could follow.

Of course, she should have known better than to expect that to deter him. In a puff of smoke, he appeared before her, nearly making her collide with him. Stopping just in time, she hopped back. “Hatake-san...what exactly is it that you want from me?” Scratching the back of his head, the man smiled rather awkwardly.

Hanako was a little worried by how good she’d gotten at reading his expressions even through his mask. “Well...if you need a jounin’s help, whatever you’re trying to accomplish is probably a little dangerous...at least that’s what I figure.” She couldn’t quite help her smile. That was an...interesting conclusion he’d come to.

“It’s not dangerous at all. In fact, all I wanted was a little bit of help with some training.” He nodded. “Fair enough. What training?” Biting her lip, she considered what to say. Technically speaking it should be safe to tell him. If nothing else, he had no reason to suspect her motives. Sure, he was supposed to be a tactical genius, but…

Swallowing, she decided to take the risk. “I want to improve my stealth skills.” He blinked in surprise. “Stealth…? Whatever for?” She shrugged. “Does it matter?” “Mah, I suppose not. So, shall we do this?” She gaped a little. “As I said, I don’t want you to-”

He waved her off, much to her dismay. “I’ve got the day free. Besides, who better to train you than a former ANBU?” Tilting her head, she considered it. It was risky, but… Nodding once, she fell in step beside him. “You were ANBU?” “Are you surprised?”

She chuckled. “Am I surprised that one of Konoha’s most effective, skilled and dangerous shinobi ever, the infamous Hatake-sama, was part of the most elite and advanced unit in the leaf? I’d have been more surprised if you hadn’t been a member, at least at some point.” He nodded. “Somehow, it surprises most people.” “That would be because you act like a lazy, entitled pervert.”

He glanced over at her as they walked towards the training grounds closest to them. “Entitled?” Hanako grinned. “Well, according to Iruka, your mission reports are pure junk. They drive him mad.” Kakashi laughed. “Well, I write them with my left hand, just for him.” Hanako gave him an incredulous look. “Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s fun to tease him?” Rubbing a hand over her forehead, she closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m his girlfriend. I tease him enough, trust me.” Kakashi made a noise – it wasn’t quite disgust but it was close. Hanako frowned. “You really don’t get along, do you?”

“Nope. Never have. The ever-so beloved academy sensei and the cruel, lazy elite killer simply don’t click.” Hanako turned in surprise. He’d spoken with an even voice – so even, it had to be fake. “I don’t think people really see you that way. Maybe at first glance, but...” Pulling out his porn book, he kept walking. “What do YOU see me as, Hanako-sensei?” She snorted. “An annoyance. You constantly hang around my classroom, you tease me, you rile Iruka up on purpose...though I suppose that’s not so bad. He’s cute when he’s angry.”

This time the noise Kakashi made really did sound disgusted. “You’re probably the only one in the entire village to think so. Iruka-sensei’s temper is legendary.” Smiling to herself, Hanako nodded. “I’ve seen it. Never been on the receiving end, thankfully. I’ve seen it happen to Naruto though.” “Mah, the boy probably deserved it. Such a brat.” 

Hanako scoffed at him. “He’s not so bad. As a matter of fact, I actually rather like him. He’s...cute.” “Cute? You think that child is CUTE?” Kakashi’s voice was about an octave above what it should have been. “That’s right. He’s like...a stray cat. I can’t help but want to pet him.”

“So, you’re a cat person then?” They turned at the edge of block of flats, only a few minutes away from the training grounds now. “Not particularly. I like all animals. Dogs, cats, you name it.” “Mah, I noticed that you have a dog paperweight on your desk.” She nodded, forcing a happy grin to her face. She hadn’t expected him to bring up the gifts, not at all.

“Yes! It’s adorable, isn’t it? It was a gift.” He nodded, falling quiet. An awkward silence persisted between them until they reached the edge of the field they’d been aiming for. Stretching her arms and back lightly, Hanako looked at the jounin that still had his nose buried in that book.

“So, what exactly is it that you want to learn, Hanako-chan?” She nearly tripped over her own feet when she heard what he’d called her. How rude! “Well, Kakashi-kun first I’d like to learn what happened to calling me sensei.” He snickered, closing the book and putting it away. “I’m the teacher today, aren’t I?” She groaned.

“Fine. Hatake-sensei, is it?” He shook his head. “My students call me Kakashi...Hanako-chan.” Taking a deep breath, she did her best to stay calm. She should have never agreed to this. “Fine. If you insist. Kakashi-sensei, I would like to learn how to spy on someone who’s abilities exceed mine.” “In other words, you need a jounin to teach you how to spy on another jounin?”

“Not quite.” “Oh?” He crossed his arms and gave her a strange look. “Then what is it?” Meeting his gaze, she lied, hoping he wouldn’t figure it out. “I’ve never been very good at stealth. My teacher focused my training on my talents, and this wasn’t one of them. I realised the other day...” She trailed off, acting shy in order to keep her story up.

“Mh?” Sighing, she ran a hand over her hair. “I can’t even sneak up on Iruka. I was really trying too!” Kakashi snorted. Relieved that he’d bought it, she glared at him. “Glad to amuse you.” Fixing her with a sudden serious look, Kakashi bent forwards, just enough to bring their faces level. “I can tell you’re lying, Hanako-san. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine, but please don’t insult me by lying to me.”

She shrunk back a little. She should have known better, shouldn’t she? Fighting down her embarrassment at having been called out, she met his eye. “I’m sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I shouldn’t have tried to lie. It’s just...it’s personal. And important to me.” Chuckling softly, he leaned back. “Good enough for me. Let’s see what you’ve got at the moment.” 

He pulled out a bell and tied it to his belt-loop. “This is a favourite exercise of mine.” “The bell-test.” She didn’t have to guess – Iruka had told her about Kakashi’s teaching methods – or lack thereof if Iruka was to be believed.

“That’s right. Normally, I tell my students to get it anyway they can. In this case though...do it without alerting me. I’ll stand in that field there and read my book.” Nodding, she watched him jump several feet away.

She considered her options. For the time being, she needed to disappear. That was easy enough to do – shifting her weight to one side, she dashed off. She could see the surprise in his face – Hanako grinned. She was fast. Much faster than most shinobi she knew. Her chakra nature was wind, and with a little chakra to help her out, she could run, quite literally as fast as the wind. Making the seals for a clone, she set it to circle him, like she had been doing. She herself landed in a nearby tree. There was a relatively sure-fire way she could get the bell, but it would require her to use a good deal of chakra.

Then again, she thought, it wasn’t like she needed much of it in her normal life. Suppressing a sigh that may have given her away, she formed several more seals and bit her thumb, before slapping her hand on the tree-branch underneath her. Summoning jutsu complete, she smiled at the six critters before her.

Six pretty butterflies were lightly airing their wings out. She sent the first two to flutter around in the field. They wouldn’t draw his attention on their own, but they would keep an eye on the situation for her. They’d also hopefully conceal the next two butterflies she sent to land nearby. They’d be behaving perfectly normally until she called on them.

The last two creatures, Hanako artificially infused with chakra – a lot of it. The little creatures gripped on to her jacket and lifted – thanks to the chakra, they had no trouble lifting her up, high up above the trees. With a high vantage point as she had now, she closed her eyes. Another jutsu allowed her to see through the eyes of her little critters. It wasn’t easy to see through the eyes of butterflies, of course, but then, she had years of practice.

As she’d seen, her target was standing in the field, reading his book, not moving much at all, other than to occasionally turn the page. Her clone was still circling him. With a puff, she dispelled it. Just for a moment, his attention shifted to the noise to his right – it would be enough.

Sending the two butterflies that had been resting nearby to his side, she had one of them bite the string, the other gripping the bell, to stop it from making noise. Her little butterflies looked normal, but they weren’t – they could bite, scratch, even poison if necessary – making the task an easy one.

Grinning to herself, she directed the bell carrier over to her. Taking the bell from the butterfly, she opened her eyes – after a moment of adjusting back to her own vision, she released the butterfly before her. Then, one by one, she released three more – first the one hovering behind the teacher. His eye moved towards the slight pop, but there was nothing to see.

Next was one of the ones fluttering before him. This one he saw disappear, and moments later, its playful companion. Now only the two holding her were left. They still had plenty of chakra left. She saw Kakashi’s hand dart to his hip, cursing when the found the bell gone. Leaning forwards, she directed the butterflies to carry her forwards, to right above the man.

He was looking around on the ground, but hadn’t thought to look up yet. With a single seal, she released the last two butterflies, falling straight downwards towards the man. The rustling of her clothes alerted him to her presence, but too late – he couldn’t dodge her, and they collided, her legs connecting with his shoulders.

Careful not to crush or hurt him too much, she flattened him to the ground. Coming to rest on his chest, she triumphantly held out the bell. Her teacher chuckled softly – so softly, she’d felt it more than she had heard it. Hopping off of him, she watched him get up. “Not bad. You got the bell.” Dusting off her knees, she nodded.

“How did I do...sensei?” She smirked a little. “Mah...I’d say, 7 out of 10 points.” He straightened up and put away the book he had dropped. “What did I lose points for?” He shrugged. “You used a lot of chakra – you didn’t have to...fly. You didn’t need the clone either – just the summoned butterflies would have been enough.”

Hanako sighed. “Well, I didn’t want to take the chance. It used a lot of chakra but it made sure I was out of your line of sight, and the clone made for an easy distraction.” He nodded. “It’s not bad thinking. So...clearly, you aren’t bad at stealth after all.”

She shook her head. “Not true. If we’d been indoors, my technique wouldn’t have worked at all. My butterflies would have been a give-away. I just got lucky we were out here.” He nodded. “So you’re interested in tailing rather than stealing?” “I suppose so.” Snickering, the man rubbed his chin through his mask. “Don’t tell me you’re suspecting poor Iruka of cheating on you and want to follow him?”

Tossing the bell back to its owner, she shook her head. “Of course not. He’s not the kind of lowlife that would do that.” Kakashi sighed. The both of them sat down, cross-legged and facing each other. “No, he wouldn’t. The sensei is far too...good for that.” Hanako ran a hand through her hair, pleased to find it all still in place. “Only you could make being faithful sound like a bad thing.” She nearly missed the way his eye squinted in displeasure.

“Only me?” Hesitating, she pointed at the pouch that held his book. “Well, I’d imagine your little books probably make being unfaithful out to be some sort of adventure, maybe even an accomplishment.” He scoffed. “Hardly. They’re romance stories – boy pursues girl and eventually wins her affection.” “Oh?” She was genuinely a little surprised.

“I don’t have a lot of patience for cheaters, male or female.” He nodded. “It doesn’t make for much of an epic romance if the hero is out flirting around.” Grinning, she leaned forwards a little. “So… Kakashi-sensei...” He backed away a little. “Y-Yes?” Pleased by how uncomfortable he was, she leaned closer. He shifted back just as much, keeping their distance the same. “I didn’t know you were...a romantic.”

Hanako leaned forward again, shifting onto all fours. He fell back accordingly, leaning onto his arms. When he couldn’t go any further, she stopped pushing forwards. “Well, Kakashi-sensei?” Unable to keep herself from teasing him, she met his gaze, wide-eyed as it was. “Mah, that is...debatable. Don’t you know? I’m a huge pervert.” His voice was a lot calmer than his eye suggested.

Hanako added his current behaviour to her other evidence – a romantic. It would certainly explain the gifts – someone who WASN’T a romantic would hardly do what he had been doing. Looking at the man before her, she felt her heart beat a little faster. She wanted to know, unable to bear the confusion for a minute longer.

So, with a smooth motion, she leaned forward, supporting her weight with a hand on his shoulder. She felt him freeze under her fingers and brought her mouth close to his ear, covered by his hitai-ate as it was. It was...easier to not look at him. His lack of reaction to her touch was certainly encouraging – she didn’t think Kakashi Hatake was the kind of man to take being touched so easily. 

Sighing, she gathered up her courage to confront him. “Yes, Kakashi-sensei. A pervert, maybe. A romantic, definitely.” The man was barely breathing, not at all responding to her whispers. “Thank you for the gifts, Kakashi-sensei. I liked them very much.” With that, she pushed back from him, sitting back into her original position.


	4. Chapter 4

Looking at his face, Hanako was...surprised was too weak a word – shocked fit it better. His visible eye was wide open, his jaw visibly clenched. The expression in his eye was...unreadable. Surprise, certainly. Anger, even – the rest, she couldn’t even begin to guess. He still hadn’t said anything. “Well, Kakashi-sensei, thank you for the lesson, but it seems I don’t need to get better at tailing people after all – I found another way to learn what I needed to know about my target.”

Since he didn’t seem inclined to answer, or even react, she stood up and moved to walk away. Turning back for a moment, she lightly bowed. The jounin still hadn’t said a word. She had hoped for an explanation or...something really, but more than anything, she was just relieved to have had her theory confirmed. At least, she reasoned, she knew she wasn’t crazy now.

Running home with a smile, she was still glad she had taken the day off – she was more tired than she had thought she would be. When, a few hours later, a very concerned Iruka showed up to take care of her since she wasn’t feeling well, she hardly felt guilty at all when she pretended to be unwell. Iruka was absolutely adorable when he fussed.

He’d slept over, of course, and come morning they got ready to go to the academy together. Putting on her necklace and new bracelet, as usual, she hardly thought twice about it – sure, they hadn’t been from Iruka, but she still liked them. It wasn’t until they were walking to the academy, hand in hand, that it occurred to her to think about Iruka’s take on this. He would no doubt be...angry if he found out. He wouldn’t like it at all, whatever the other man’s reasoning.

Squeezing his hand with a smile, she decided not to tell him – there would be no need after all. More likely than not, the gifts would stop now, after all.

Opening her classroom door, she immediately slammed it shut again. Taking a deep breath, she opened it again. The sight that greeted her was still the same. A dog was sitting on her desk. It was...cute. In an ugly kind of way. The little critter was wearing a leaf hitai-ate, and if she hadn’t known better, she’d have said it was...frowning at her. 

Sighing, she walked into her room and set down her bag. The dog was watching. “Good morning.” She didn’t really expect a reply – it was a dog after all. “Yo.” Okay, so maybe his reply had startled her a little more than was technically appropriate for a ninja. “Ah, can I help you?” “I hope so. I’m not sitting here for kicks.”

A rude, talking dog was perched on her desk. What a start to her day. “I see. Would you care to explain WHY you are on my desk then?” He growled lightly. “I’m Pakkun.” “That’s nice. I’m Hanako.” “I know.” “Oh wonderful, so you came here for a reason and didn’t just pick a desk at random? Because if you like desks, the teacher’s lounge is full of them.”

He made a noise suspiciously like a laugh. It was more like...a strangled bark. “The boss is out of Konoha, and he hasn’t given me today’s gift. I thought maybe you might know what I should bring you?” She blinked, pulling out her chair and dropping into it heavily.

“You...you’re Kakashi’s dog?” He nodded. “Obviously. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” Hanako shook her head. “Ah, well, that explains it. I thought maybe you were just slow.” Swallowing the reply that sat on the tip of her tongue, she grimaced instead. “You...wouldn’t happen to have been bringing me gifts every time Kakashi left Konoha?” He nodded. “Bloody annoying too, but I always got a steak for it so it was alright.”

“And...he didn’t give you a gift today?” The dog shook its head. “No. Figured he probably forgot. Left Konoha just a few hours ago, in the middle of the night on some mission. Sounded like a pain. Humans are so forgetful.” She smiled weakly, reaching out toward the dog. He turned towards her but didn’t resist the touch.

Absent-mindedly scratching his ear, she considered this new piece of information – it answered just about all her questions. He’d probably prepared gifts in advance and had his dog deliver them. Ninken were clever, after all. Scratching down to his neck, she sighed for what felt like the tenth time in the past five minutes.

“I don’t think there will be any more gifts, Pakkun.” “Why not? Did ya two fight?” She snorted. “Not really. It’s more like...hm, I didn’t know who the gifts were from. I thought they were from my boyfriend. But, I figured it out yesterday. Now that I know...I doubt there will be more.” Pakkun huffed, rolling onto his back.

She obediently scratched his stomach. “The boss just doesn’t make any sense. I’ve told him multiple times if he wanted you, all he needed to do was challenge your mate and claim you himself.” Hanako laughed. “First of all, it’s a little more complicated for humans. If Kakashi attacked Iruka all he’d get from me is a swift kick to his behind. Secondly...Is that what the gifts were for?” She considered it.

Could the man be...interested in her? It seemed odd. “He did say it wasn’t like that, but it’s the only thing that made sense to me.” “So...did he tell you a reason for the stuff?” The dog flopped back onto his stomach. “Yeah he did, but I wasn’t listening. Nothing to do with me, you know.”

Hanako chuckled. Of course not. The dog telling her would have been a little too easy. “If you want to know, why don’t you just ask him when he’s back?” She nodded. “I think I should. Any idea when that’ll be?” “Nah. He didn’t pack a lot though, so probably not long.”

A plan forming in her mind, Hanako frowned at Pakkun. “Ne, Pakkun...could you come tell me when he’s back? I think I want to talk to him.” The dog nodded. “Fine. Hopefully, then he’ll stop using me as his personal courier. I have better things to do you know.” She smirked. “Let me guess, your balls don’t like themselves?” He scoffed at her. “I wonder what he sees in you. You smell like someone else.”

Hanako shrugged. “As I said, I have a boyfriend.” Pakkun sniffed her hand. “I recognise the smell. I don’t see why the boss wouldn’t challenge him. He’s much stronger than that guy.” “Because it doesn’t work that way with humans Pakkun.” “It should. It’d be easier.” “Mh, probably. So, you’ll let me know when he’s back?” The dog nodded.

“Okay. Thank you for your help, Pakkun. And thank you for the gifts. I appreciate you bringing them.” On a whim, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of the dog’s head. With another huff, he jumped away from her desk – to her surprise, straight out of the window. Like dog like master, she thought before focusing on her work.

At least, she tried. It just didn’t work. The next two days of school were absolute torture. Iruka was concerned, constantly offering her shoulder rubs and tea and even offering to help her with grading schoolwork. Unfortunately, having more time to think only made it worse.

It was annoying her to no end that she didn’t know what was going on in the jounin’s head. The dog had said he had denied being interested in her romantically, which was good, she thought – it would get complicated otherwise. She knew all she could do was wait now, and it was driving her crazy.

Resigned to having to wait, she went to bed almost as soon as she got home after school. She didn’t get much sleep though since loud barking woke her up not too soon after she fell asleep. It was coming from her window. Ripping it open, a shadow leaped inside. Pakkun.

“He’s back, and he’s hurt. Come and help.” Awake in a heartbeat, she nodded. “Where?” “Other side of the village. It’ll take time to get there. Come on.” She shook her head. “I know a faster way. Come with me.” Dashing out the front door, not even bothering with shoes, she jumped to the roof of her building. Biting her thumb, she quickly performed her summoning jutsu. This time, the butterfly she summoned wasn’t small – its body alone was longer than she was tall. Jumping onto its back, she was pleased when Pakkun followed.

“Let’s go.” Her butterfly flapped its wings and they took off. Faster than running, the flight still felt like it took too long. Pakkun’s expression was grim as he directed them to the right place. About half a mile from the village walls, they landed. Asking the butterfly to stand guard, she let herself drop off his back – it wasn’t hard to spot the man. His silver hair was reflecting the pale moonlight even as it was covered in mud, and lying on the ground as he was.

Hands forming her mother’s diagnosis seal, she slammed her hands onto his shoulders hard enough to make him groan. Relieved to find he wasn’t in immediate danger of death, she still knew he’d need medical attention quickly. Broken bones, chakra exhaustion, and open wounds...he wasn’t doing too well.

Just as she was about to ask him to get up, he passed out on the ground. Cursing loudly, she wrapped his arm – the one that wasn’t injured – around her shoulders and dragged him up as much as she could. It was only a few steps to her butterfly. Dragging Kakashi onto Chouchou’s back, she instructed the insect to fly to the hospital. Before they’d even landed properly, Pakkun had jumped off and run into the hospital. He came back with three medics carrying a stretcher. Relieved to hand the jounin over to their care, she released the summoning jutsu.

She felt drained – not because of the jutsu but because of what had happened to Kakashi. Not long after the medics carried him in, one of them returned. He nodded at her. “Thanks for bringing him. You may have saved his life.” Hanako shook her head. “Nah, he’s not that bad off. Broken bones, cuts but nothing life-threatening.” The medic frowned. “You’ve examined him?” He motioned for her to follow him inside. 

“My mother is a combat medic.” The other nin nodded. “Fair enough. Then he’s doing better than he looks.” She shrugged. “I only saw him in the dark, but he’s Kakashi Hatake – I’m guessing a lot of the blood isn’t his.” The medic snorted. “That’s usually how it goes. He’s a pain as a patient to be honest.”

Hanako smiled lightly, still following him through the hospital. It was quiet except for the two of them walking and talking. “He said he’s not fond of the hospital.” “Understatement. In fact, except for the last time when he came back willingly, he’s usually out here before he should be.” She nodded. So he’d kept his word and gone back to the hospital that time? She was relieved.

The medic opened a door and allowed her to step through first. Finding herself in a waiting room, she turned to look at the man that had led her. He was giving her a warm smile. “Friends and family wait here. I’ll tell you when there’s news. Ah, there’s a bathroom if you want to wash up.” With that, he closed the door and she looked down at herself.

Groaning, she realised that she was covered in grime – her formerly blue pajamas were covered in mud and even a little bit of blood. Locating the bathroom he’d mentioned, she was more than happy to shower and rinse her clothes in the sink to get the worst of it out. Dressing in the wet clothes since she had no other choice, she rubbed her arms – the hospital was warm enough but clammy clothes didn’t feel good.

A scratch on the bathroom door grabbed her attention. Opening the door, she came face to face with Pakkun. “Hey there. How is he?” The dog tilted his head. “He’s fine. Awake already. Arguing with the nurses that he wants to go home. Come and shut him up please.” Following the dog, bare feet uncomfortable on the cool floor, she snorted. “I don’t think I can make him stay still if he doesn’t want to.” Pakkun growled. “Maybe not but you can at least try.” Leading her down a corridor and to a door partway down the hall, she reached for the handle just as the medic-nin from before yanked open the door.

“Oh, you’re here! Wonderful. Please try and talk some sense into him.” Stepping into the room, she saw that Kakashi was fighting against a nurse and the two other medics, seemingly desperate to get out of the hospital bed. “Kakashi-san. You should probably let them treat you.”

Nothing better to say, she was relieved when her words made him freeze entirely. No longer fighting at all, the medics exchanged a strange look. Focusing on the man in the bed, she stepped closer. His hitai-ate was laying next to him but his mask was still covering his face, mangled though it was.

“You look awful.” “Why thank you, Seonji-san.” She frowned. He had never called her by her last name – not once in the entire time she’d known him. Nobody called her that. “Since when are you so formal?” He didn’t reply. The medics had already snuck away, she noted, leaving only the nurse.

“Ah, Seonji-san, is it? He’s okay for now but needs to rest until tomorrow morning when we’ll be able to do a little more for him. Please make sure he stays put.” Nodding at the woman, she accepted a dose of pills when she was handed it – painkillers. Setting them down on the bedside table, she pulled a chair up to his bed.

“So...why the sudden formality?” He shrugged under his blanket. “You made it clear that my acting...familiar wasn’t welcome.” She blinked. “I...what?” Sat next to him as she was, she could see his nose wrinkle in apparent distaste.

“Why are you even here?” “I got her for you, boss.” Pakkun jumped up onto the bed and settled between the man’s legs. “And...why would you do such a thing, Pakkun?” The dog snorted. “Because you passed out halfway home? Would you have preferred I let you lie there?” Going by his glare, he may well have.

“I’m glad Pakkun got me. You weren’t doing so well. What have they done to you so far?” Glancing around for a chart, she picked it up from the foot of the bed. “Dressed my wounds, given me a transfusion. Set a few bones.” She nodded. “Probably not too much they can do until the swelling’s gone down. You’re lucky, you know.” He growled, much to her surprise.

“I don’t FEEL lucky.” “I’d imagine not. But then, you’re alive, you’re safe and since you’re injured you’re safe from me whacking you.” “Whacking me?” She scoffed. “For acting like a baby. You’re a jounin for god’s sake. Fighting nurses? That’s ridiculous.” Pakkun laugh-barked. “Oh so you’re on her side now, are you?” The man sounded offended.

“I’m on your side, boss...but that doesn’t mean she’s not right. You should be glad she had that giant butterfly ready?” “Butterfly?” She nodded, sitting back down next to him. “Chouchou. He’s...a little bigger than the ones you saw before. He carried us both here.” Kakashi nodded. “I suppose...I have to thank you then. And...I’m sorry that Pakkun bothered you when you wanted nothing to do with me.”

Hanako rubbed her eyes, trying to keep herself awake. “What do you mean? When did I say that?” The man shifted with a wince. “You may not have said it but the message was clear enough. I hadn’t...intended to bother you further.” “Look, Kakashi-san, with all due respect. I’m tired. I got woken up by a pug and flew across Konoha in my pajamas. I didn’t even put on shoes. Can we just speak plainly without any of this nonsense?”

Pakkun made a sound that sounded decidedly like a snicker. Kakashi glared at her. “Fine. Message received loud and clear – my gifts were bothering you. I was bothering you. I won’t do it again.” She shook her head. “Kakashi-san...this whole thing, it still doesn’t make sense to me.” He gave her a rather cold look. “What’s not to understand?”

She leaned back in her seat. “Well, I start receiving these gifts from what I assume to be my boyfriend. For MONTHS, every morning in class, there’s a gift. Never the same thing twice, and always thoughtful gifts. Then, I find out through sheer coincidence, that the person dropping them off ISN’T my boyfriend, but someone else. Said someone is a man that barely knows me. Apparently, this man has gone through quite a bit of trouble to give gifts to me, a woman he barely speaks to. I really don’t understand it. I mean, at first I may have thought you were trying to hit on me, but you’ve never so much as flirted. Also, you know I’m seeing someone else. Plus, if you were interested in me, I doubt you’d have kept it up for as long as you have. In conclusion, I have absolutely no idea what in the world went on in your brain.”

Meeting his expressionless gaze, she smiled weakly. “Care to explain?” “Mah, you’re unexpectedly dense, aren’t you, Seonji-san?” She leaned forward, resting her arms on the side of his bed. “Please call me Hanako. I don’t like being called by my last name.” He sighed. 

“Unexpectedly dense or unexpectedly cruel? I can’t tell.” She watched him intently, waiting for his explanation. “Well, if you insist, sensei… You’re right of course, the gifts were always mine. I wasn’t giving them to you in order to hit on you.” She nodded. That didn’t make much sense given how LONG he’d been doing it. “What then?” “I was happy for you to think they were from Iruka. I only gave them to you because...they always seemed to make you happy.” He paused, swallowed and continued with a little less conviction.

“I never had ulterior motives in giving them to you. That’s why...mah, I knew you were watching me, those last two times. I’m not an idiot, sensei. I just… it didn’t really matter to me, whether you knew or not. I really wasn’t trying anything.”

She nodded, waiting for him to continue, but silence fell instead. Pakkun was snoring lightly between the man’s legs. “I understand that. But...I mean, if that wasn’t it, why would you spend so much money on them? Some of the things you gave me were expensive!” She touched the necklace still around her neck.

“As I said, they made you happy. That’s all there was to it, really.” Hanako frowned. Her heart was beating far too fast, her palms a little sweaty. Now that she was finally talking to him about it all, she was far more nervous than she’d expected. “That’s...sweet of you.” He snorted. “Is that so? Well, I’m glad you think so.”

“But, Kakashi-san...why in the world would you go through the trouble? I mean it’s a nice thought, but...why?” With a groan, he leaned up. His eyes – both of them – were trained on her, lightly reflecting the moonlight from the window behind her. “You don’t get it, do you?” She shook her head. She didn’t. Her mind was racing through dozens of possibilities, but none of them made sense.

“Mah, sensei, that’s really cruel of you. A rejection I could understand, but this is just mean.” Her mouth dropped open. Before she could reply though, his whole demeanour changed. Instead of sitting there, tense and with a calm expression, he seemed to...soften. His eyes certainly did, something like a smile playing around them.


	5. Chapter 5

“I’m in love with you, Hanako-san. Have been since the first time I saw you.” Hanako couldn’t help it – she passed out.

Waking up with a groan, she was surprised, just for a moment, to find a hospital ceiling above her. Remembering the events from before, she shook herself awake and sat up. The first thing she noticed was that it was daytime – the second that she wasn’t alone. One bed down, by the window, was Kakashi, nose buried in a porn book.

“Nurses said you passed out from exhaustion. According to them, you haven’t been getting enough rest.” She nodded dumbly, too astounded that the man in the other bed was acting like nothing had happened. “Uhm...” “Was it me?” “What?” Her voice sounded raspy and she was glad to find a glass of water on her own bedside table. Hopping off the bed, she stretched. “Was it me, the reason you haven’t been sleeping. Was I really that much of a bother?”

She sighed and sat back down on the chair by his bed. Kakashi was still staring at his book but hadn’t turned the page once since she’d woken up. “In a way. I...was surprised. I’d thought for nearly five months that Iruka had been giving me the gifts. When I found out it was you...I couldn’t believe it was you, actually. Had a whole list of theories that seemed to make more sense. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I decided to stalk you to find out the truth – I was going to have Kurenai teach me.”

He nodded. “Wouldn’t have worked – no offence.” She shrugged. “It may not have been my best plan, but hey. Anyway, when we were in the field...I just couldn’t stop myself from bringing it up. I just...HAD to know. And then, instead of asking you why you were giving me them, I walked off because I was so surprised that it really WAS you.”

Untying her braid, she combed her fingers through her hair. “And then the next morning Pakkun is on my desk, telling me about how you’d left...I guess it was the not knowing when you’d be back when I’d finally get an explanation that’s kept me from sleeping.” He nodded.

“Also, Kakashi-san, you haven’t turned the page once since I’ve woken, so how about you put the book down?” He flinched a little but did as she asked. “So… about… before…” She didn’t know how to bring it up. Was she even remembering it right? She had been so tired and her heart had been beating so fast… “You mean about me telling you that I’m in love with you?” His voice sounded far calmer than was reasonable given the actual words out of his mouth.

“Yeah, that. So the gifts, were you trying to...make me like you?” He shook his head. “I had no intention of telling you they were mine.” “Then what the hell, Kakashi-san?” He flinched again. “I told you. I wanted to make you happy. I...like seeing you happy.” She rubbed her fingers across the bridge of her nose in confusion.

“But you weren’t trying to steal me from Iruka?” His eyes shot up, a defiant look in them. “No. Absolutely not. I never...wanted you for myself.” Hanako groaned, leaning onto his bed again, face buried into her hands. “But, you’re saying you love me.” “Yes.” “I don’t understand ANY of this!” Her voice was breaking a little. She wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling – upset, perhaps a little hurt, and definitely confused.

“Hanako-san… please don’t be upset. I… when we met for dinner, I couldn’t help it. I fell in love with you. I’d never… felt that way about anyone before. The first gift… I suppose it was my attempt to let you know that I liked you. I got so nervous though, I forgot to put a note in it. And then you thought it was from Iruka. And...you were just so happy when you found it, that the next day I got you another. I’d randomly find myself in town, spotting this or that that I thought you’d like. I didn’t want to bother you too much so I kept my watching to a minimum.”

He paused for a moment. “At first, I liked bothering you in your classes. You’re stunning when you’re mad. I stopped because...because you didn’t like it. I was trying to make you happy after all. So I sat on the tree instead.” Hanako looked up at the man. “And...the day I gave you that necklace...” She nodded, fingers clasping the pendant in a familiar motion. “It..it was my birthday. I wanted to be selfish, just for a bit, so I played with your hair. I was really...happy when you let me do it, and even happier when you liked the necklace.”

She nodded, carefully. In a certain light, his actions made...sense. Not a lot of it, but kind of. “So...Kakashi-san. What was your ultimate plan? I mean, how long were you going to keep this up for?” He shrugged. “Didn’t have one. I was going to keep doing it, maybe forever.” Hanako slapped her hands onto the bed. “But that doesn’t make sense! Why would you be...satisfied like that? What about all of that is good for you?”

He chuckled softly, meeting her eyes. There was something so...soft in his eyes, it made her shudder. She had no words for it exactly, but it transformed his masked face into something oddly beautiful. “I’ve told you, all I wanted was to see you happy. I fully appreciate that your happiness is Iruka and not me. Or rather...I know you deserve far better than me. That’s why I had no intention of making a move. As for what was ‘good for me’...mah, I’m pretty sure nothing about what I’ve been doing was particularly good.”

He chuckled, running a bandaged hand through his open hair. “I may not have any experience in romance, but even I could figure out that watching the woman you love through a window while she’s happily dating someone else isn’t...healthy. But...it made me happy and I couldn’t quite make myself not watch, not when every once in a while, you’d smile at me when you spotted me. Or even...nodded a hello.”

His voice sounded oddly fragile. Sitting back a little, she tried to focus on his feelings rather than her own. She couldn’t imagine how he was feeling, actually – but she could wager a guess that ‘vulnerable’ was part of it. She’d have to tread carefully to not...hurt him.

“Kakashi-san...you thought I asked you to stop in the field?” He nodded. “Why else would you suddenly bring up the gifts after all? I figured you didn’t like getting gifts from a stranger. I was going to stop since I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. That’s why I took the mission as well. I wanted...it seemed easier to be away. I wanted to lick my wounds in peace.”

Hanako sighed. “Why me? What’s so good about me?” He snorted. Hanako felt herself blush a little. “You’re beautiful. Your hair, your eyes, your skin. It wasn’t that though...it’s hard to describe though.” He stopped and she sensed that he wasn’t going to continue.

Suddenly finding it a little hard to breathe, she knew she just HAD to know. “Please describe it. I think I need to know.” He nodded after a long moment. “Iruka introduced us. Your voice...it sounded a little like sunshine felt. And then, when you laughed, I just felt so...warm. You probably don’t remember but when you left, you smiled, directly at me. I...felt my knees go a little weak.” She nodded. “I didn’t even know you then, but I had absolutely no doubt about how I felt. Then...I started watching you. Uh, I followed you around a fair bit. I saw...more of you. The way you treated people. The way you treated the students. You were so kind, to anyone. But you were also smart, and funny, and so much more.”

His eyes were once again trained onto his blanket. “I… see.” Hanako swallowed. He certainly...sounded like he loved her, but could that really be true? It didn’t seem possible to her. No, that wasn’t true – actually, it seemed very possible, and it was also the perfect explanation for just about everything.

The problem was something different – she’d discounted him having real feelings for her as a possibility early on. After all, had she not done so, that would have meant that she’d missed something so monumental, and she simply didn’t want to face up to that.

Hanako felt absolutely terrible. She was...disgusted with herself. How could she have...been so cruel? So blind? Forcing her eyes to Kakashi’s face, she also reached out to grasp one of his hands. Tugging lightly, he followed willingly. “Kakashi-san...” “No.” “I’m sorry, what?” He snatched back his hand. “I don’t want to hear it. You don’t have to say it. I get it. No interest at all. I just...can't hear that, right now, okay? I’m sorry.”

She sat there, speechless for a moment, before standing up. Leaning over him and well aware that he had nowhere to run, bed-ridden as he was, she waited for him to meet her eyes. Grasping his hand again, deliberately, she felt him resist a little this time. “That’s not what I was going to say. I wanted to apologise to you.”

His eyes widened in shock. “For what? You haven’t done anything. You didn’t even know.” She nodded. “Exactly. I feel like I should have. I had no idea of any of this. I was annoyed by you needling me all the time. I feel terrible.” He chuckled softly, gripping her fingers in his. “You don’t owe me an apology.” “I disagree. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this, to be honest, but I know one thing for sure: I’m sorry I didn’t...see. I should have.” He shrugged. “It’s...fine. But, since you don’t seem...angry, can I ask you something?”

Tightening her hold on his fingers, she sat back down. “Angry? Why would I be angry?” Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. “Because a man you don’t particularly like just admitted to basically stalking you? I’d imagine most people would be mad.” Hearing it said like that, Hanako had to agree – most people would be mad indeed.

But she wasn’t, not in the least. “Ah, your question?” His fingers tightened, almost uncomfortably. “Now that...you know...will you be wanting me to stay away from you?” Hanako bit her lip. It wasn’t a bad question, but unfortunately, it was one she didn’t know the answer to. “What about you?” “Hn?” “What do you want?” 

Kakashi laughed quietly. “Doesn’t matter, does it? This is my problem and for me to deal with.” Hanako flicked her free hand against his wrist lightly. “This...it can’t be easy for you. If I can make it easier, I want to. Wouldn’t it be...better for you to stay away from me?”

He shrugged, once again avoiding her eyes. “I’m not a schoolboy with a crush, Hanako-san. I don’t particularly want to be pitied or patronised. If you want me to stay away, just tell me. I can deal with rejection.” Hanako scoffed. “Can you just answer my question please?” “Fine. If it was up to me...I’d like to keep going like we have been. Nothing has to change. We can pretend that I don’t feel this way, or that you don’t know.”

After a long pause, he continued. “It’s selfish but I don’t want to lose you out of my life completely. But...I won’t ask that of you. In fact, I’m not asking anything. If you tell me to stay away, you have my word that I will do so.” Hanako nodded, thoughtfully. She believed him. She wasn’t sure why, but she believed him completely.

“Can I...have some time to think about what I’d like?” He shrugged. “Have as much time as you’d like. I’m going to be staying here for several more days after all. I’m guessing you wouldn’t… approve if I left early?” He grimaced. “Does that...matter so much to you? Whether I approve or not.” Squinting his eyes for a moment, he nodded, slowly. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, Kakashi-san. I would never use your feelings against you in any way.” Pausing for effect, she frowned at him. “That said, if I hear so much as a rumour that you left the hospital before you were discharged or that you were anything but a cooperative patient, I will personally drag you back here by your toes. We clear?” Eyes huge in surprise at her serious tone, he nodded again.

“Wonderful. Now that we’ve got THAT out of the way… what time is it?” He glanced at a clock nearby. “Almost 11. You slept a long time.” Hanako groaned. “I’m late for work!” Kakashi chuckled in response, holding his hands up in a calming gesture. “Don’t worry, I’ve sent Pakkun to your school to let them know you wouldn’t make it.”

Hanako felt herself pale a little. “Ah, Kakashi-san...don’t take this the wrong way, but I need to go. Right now.” “Why?” Jumping out of the chair she yanked open the nearest window. “Because if Pakkun talks to Iruka, I’m screwed! I’ll be back when I have an answer, Kakashi-san. Until then, get some rest!” With those words, and without waiting for a response, she jumped out the window. Once again casting her summoning jutsu, she landed on Chouchou’s back rather than on the floor below the hospital window. Directing her faithful butterfly to her home, she dismissed him a little early, falling hard to the ground. Not bothered by the pain shooting up her legs, she dashed in the door. 

Throwing on a normal dress, brushing her tangled hair out and pulling on shoes more or less at the same time, she was in and out of her apartment in mere minutes. Sprinting at full speed to the academy, she arrived there in record time. Lucky enough to get there during a break, she went straight for Iruka’s classroom. He was sitting at his desk, and for a moment, she felt immensely relieved – then she spotted Pakkun asleep next to his desk.

He looked up, looked her over once, breathing hard as she was, and smiled sweetly. Hanako felt the instinctive urge to back away. He stood up from his chair slowly and walked over in measured steps, sweet smile still in place. Hanako had seen this expression before – never aimed at her though. The man was angry. 

“Hanako! What a surprise. Today is just full of those, isn’t it?” She laughed awkwardly, suddenly regretting closing the door and cutting off her escape route. “Imagine my surprise, Hanako, when not only did you not show up for work this morning, but one of the other instructors told me that ‘some dog’ had showed up in the staff room and told everyone that you were in the hospital.” He lightly cracked his knuckles.

“Imagine then, my surprise when this dog turns out to be Kakashi’s ninken. But it didn’t stop there. That mutt over there-” He jabbed his finger towards said dog, voice steadily getting louder with each word. “assured me that although he couldn’t exactly remember WHY you were in the hospital, that he knew you were safe. He then explained that you’d spent the night with Kakashi but couldn’t explain how or why, nor how you ended up in a hospital.”

Hanako had shrunk back, slipping into one of his students' benches to back away from his yelling. She understood now, why other people feared his temper. “Look, Iruka, I-” “IMAGINE” He continued, talking over her. “Imagine then being told that there was nowhere to cover my classes and that I couldn’t see you until after school.” Slamming his hands down on the desk in front of her, Hanako did her very best to shrink into the row behind her.

“So, would you care to explain yourself?” Sighing in relief that he’d finally stopped yelling, she straightened up. “It’s true that I was in the hospital overnight. It wasn’t anything serious. I...collapsed from exhaustion. I hadn’t been sleeping well and it was worse than I thought. As for spending the night with Kakashi-” She glared at Pakkun who was looking far too relaxed for her liking. “I did, technically speaking. Pakkun here ran into me and told me he was hurt. I used a jutsu to get Kakashi to the hospital faster. You know, flew him there after he collapsed. They asked me to stay until he was awake, and I ended up collapsing before I could go home. It all sounds a lot more dramatic than it was.”

Quite suddenly, the man before her deflated and squatted down before her. “I’m sorry for yelling. You just had me so worried.” Reaching out to lightly pat his head, she smiled. “It’s fine. I’m sorry for worrying you so much. I really didn’t mean to worry you. I slept a long time, is all. But I’m fine now. Really.” He looked up at her and gently smiled.

“Well, I’m sure the rumours will die down soon too.” She blinked. “Rumours?” He snorted. “Oh yes. Didn’t you know, apparently you’re cheating on me with Kakashi.” He shook his head as Hanako felt an unexpected pang of guilt. She’d not been cheating, the thought had never even occurred, but she still felt guilty, just because she knew about Kakashi’s feelings now.

“That man always tortures me. Just had to be him, huh?” She shrugged a little awkwardly. “He’s not so bad, is he?” Iruka sighed. “I used to think he was just a little odd. You know, the way jounin just...are. But the past few months he’s just been nasty.” Hanako grimaced lightly. She had a good idea of how that had come to be.

“You and him...there’s nothing going on, right?” Hanako gaped at him. “Of course not! Don’t be silly. We get along a little better than you two do, but I would NEVER cheat on you with him. Surely, you know that.” He smiled gently and nodded. “Of course I do. I trust you. It’s just...well, next to him, it’s a little hard not to feel insecure. He’s Konoha’s hero, and I’m just...me.”

Hanako felt a slow smile spread across her face. She pulled him up from his position and into a kiss. He was sweet – more than sweet, really. “Don’t worry, silly. ‘Just you’ is exactly what I want. You know I love you.” Feeling his arms wrap around her, she rather enjoyed their chaste kiss until the laughter of children pulled them from their shared moment.

Iruka pulled back and she saw them – at least seven pre-genin, all watching them with a mix of interest, horror, and disgust. Mostly disgust. Coughing lightly, she stood up and smoothed out her dress. “I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll see you later?” Her boyfriend nodded, a blush creeping across his face.

Pointing at Pakkun on the way out, she motioned for him to follow her. He did, obediently enough. Walking, this time, she made her way home. She rather enjoyed the late morning sun. “So...Pakkun.” “Hm?” She smiled sweetly at the dog. “Let’s not pretend you didn’t know exactly what you were saying to Iruka, okay?” After a short pause, the dog nodded once. “Good. So then you’ll understand I have to ask what in the world that was about? Were you TRYING to upset him?”

The dog huffed. “So what if I was? The boss doesn’t like him. I don’t like him. I don’t know what you see in him.” Moving faster than the dog had clearly expected, she snatched him up from the floor by his scruff. Glaring at him, she poked a finger into his furry chest. “Let me make this clear. I understand your loyalty is to Kakashi, and that’s fine. I respect that. I also respect that those two don’t get along. However, and I want you to listen to me carefully, NEITHER of those two facts gives YOU the right to purposefully upset the man, or to be cruel to him. Are we clear?”

After a long moment, the dog’s gruff voice exclaimed: “Crystal, boss.” Setting the dog back down with a sigh, she continued her walk. “So I’m ‘Boss’ now too, Pakkun?” The dog made that noise she’d learned to recognise as a laugh. “When you’ve got me by the scruff, yes. Don’t let it get to your head.”

Laughing, she realised she’d already forgiven the pug. He’d only been looking out for his owner after all – however misguided his attempt had been. Unlocking her door, she let the dog in. He beelined for her bed and rolled up on it, asleep in moments. Still, in the middle of pulling off her shoes, she sighed at the snores she could hear coming from her bed.

Falling onto her couch instead, Hanako closed her eyes. Feeling overwhelmed by the last few hours, she couldn’t help but shudder as her mind tried to catch up with everything that had happened. Surprised when she felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks, she turned her face towards the back of the couch – not that there was anyone to hide her tears from, of course.


	6. Chapter 6

For a long while, Hanako felt really mad, mostly at Kakashi. She’d been so HAPPY, with the way things had been. She’d loved Iruka, had loved his thoughtful gifts, working with him, and yes, she’d even sort of enjoyed Kakashi’s company… in a weird way, anyway. But then...she knew it wasn’t that Kakashi had ruined it, she really did know, but it felt like it.

She even blamed the rain – if it hadn’t rained that day, if she hadn’t spotted Kakashi, she’d still be ignorant and happy… Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she got up to search for a tissue. Bitterly staring down at the tissue in her hand, she sniffled. She knew perfectly well that she was being selfish, that what she wanted was cruel – she was already feeling so, so guilty for what had happened between her and Kakashi.

Blinking at the tissue as if it somehow had the solutions to her problems, she wiped another tear. She thought back on her interactions with Kakashi – how must he have felt? Accepting that he loved her, difficult as that was, she re-examined every interaction she’d ever had with him. She recalled that she’d complained at him a lot, in the beginning when he was bothering her classes. She didn’t feel too bad about that, but she did feel bad about other things.

She felt bad for never entertaining the possibility that the gifts had been from him. It had to hurt, being so completely...overlooked. She remembered how the day he’d given her the necklace, she’d flinched and tensed every time he’d touched her.

There had been no indication that it bothered him, but it had to have done so. She hadn’t thanked him for doing her hair – she’d liked it, but she hadn’t wanted to say so since he’d annoyed her. It had been his BIRTHDAY, but she hadn’t known. He’d given her a gift on his birthday, and because she’d had no idea at all, she hadn’t thanked him, nothing.

He’d put it on for her too, and she’d just been excited he was leaving for a mission. Hanako felt absolutely miserable. She’d taken his book, teased him, attacked him. Hadn’t wished him a safe trip, nothing. She’d treated him like an afterthought at best, the few times they had interacted directly. He’d come back for HER birthday and she’d done nothing but nag at him – he’d even said that he hadn’t gotten her a gift, the liar!

Shooting up from her perch on the couch, she walked across the room to a little shelf. There, sitting on top of a few books, was the rose she now knew HE had given her, not Iruka. He’d asked if she was getting sick of the gifts – the gifts from Iruka. She’d told him how much show loved getting these gifts from another man. She’d snapped at him and kicked him out. Setting the rose down, she dove for another tissue, tears spilling forth yet again.

He’d gotten irritated when he’d come across her and Iruka in the hallway – no surprise now, was it? It must have felt like she was...flaunting it in front of him. Burying her face in her hands, Hanako had to accept it – she was a horrible person and had treated a man that had been bending over backward for no reason other than to make her happy for MONTHS, with nary a thought of what would make HIM happy.

Sniffling again, she forced herself to go to her bedroom. Pakkun was laying on her bed but awake. Good. “Pakkun?” “Hm? You okay?” She sniffled. “I’ll be fine. I need you to tell me something though.” “What is it?” Sitting down next to the dog, she sniffled again. “Well, it’s just…I feel terrible. For how I’ve treated him. Is there anything… I want to make it up to him.” Pakkun nodded. “And you want me to help you come up with a way?” “Yes.” Clutching her tissue, she looked at the little dog.

“Well...first of all, I don’t think he’s mad. Maybe he should be, or something, but I’ve never heard him say an unkind word about you. Not ever.” Hanako closed her eyes, trying hard to fight the next bout of tears. “Hey hey, stop it with the waterworks! It’ll be fine, you hear me? Man, humans are such a bother...Look, all I know is that he likes spending time with you. Maybe you can do that?”

She frowned at his suggestion. Could she do that? That was rather the question, wasn’t it? Kakashi had promised he’d stay away from her if she asked it. But...was she going to? She tried to think what would be kinder to him. Hanako didn’t think that what he felt was necessarily healthy, but then, that didn’t mean he could help it either, and she didn’t want to hurt him any more than he’d been hurt by her ignorance so far.

So no, she wasn’t going to ask him to stay away from her. Obviously, she wasn’t going to be with him either – she loved Iruka after all. That left...two options, more or less. Continuing the way they’d been going, or attempting to form a proper friendship. She wasn’t sure which he’d prefer, but at least it gave her something to offer him, a suggestion to make.

The decision thus made, more or less, she decided to go back to the hospital. Pakkun followed obediently. Hanako knew something was up as soon as she got to the hospital. The nurses, even other staff and medic-nin were all...gossiping it seemed.

About what, she couldn’t begin to imagine – at least not until she reached Kakashi’s room. Two nurses were standing outside of it. “He was NICE, I tell you!” “Shut up!” The two were blocking the door, unfortunately. “Ah...sorry, may I?” The nurse smiled kindly. “Oh, you’ve got the wrong room. This is Kakashi Hatake.” Hanako smiled and nodded, but before she could reply, the other nurse interrupted.

“Oh no, it’s you, isn’t it? The girl that brought him in and made him behave? Go on in! Honestly, whatever you said, you made our job SO much easier!” Entering the room with a confused expression on her face and an impatient Pakkun on her heel, she closed the door behind her, muffling the giggles of the nurses.

Crossing the room to Kakashi’s bed, she saw that the man was awake, nose buried in his book. “How are you feeling?” He looked up and did a double-take. Putting his book down and running both hands through his messy hair, he wasn’t hiding the surprise on his face – covered as it now was by hitai-ate and mask.

“Ah, I’m better, thanks. I didn’t expect you back so soon.” Hanako shrugged. “I can come back later if you’d like?” He shook his head and offered her a seat – her chair was still where she’d left it. Deciding that wasn’t going to work for her, she instead sat lightly on the edge of the bed.

“You’ve been crying.” Her eyes widened – she hadn’t expected him to notice. The puffiness around her eyes was minimal, really. “Yeah, a little. And, before you ask, not your fault.” His expression darkened a little. “Then who?” Hanako chuckled. “It’s nothing, really. I was just...thinking about a few things.”

“So you’ve decided on what to do with me.” His voice sounded calm but his visible eye...wasn’t. “I guess you could say that. I’ve thought about it and...well I was going to ask you which, of the two things I’d be okay with, you’d prefer?” Giving a guarded nod, he waited for her to elaborate. “Either, we could continue like we have done so far. I definitely won’t pretend that I don’t know, but if…watching me from a distance makes you happy, I can live with it. The other option...I feel silly even saying it.”

Swallowing nervously, she tilted her head at him a little. “We could try to be...friends.” He nodded. “And what exactly do you mean by friends?” She sighed. “You know. Friends. We meet. We chat. You visit me normally, we spend some time together. Maybe have lunch or dinner on occasion. That sort of thing.” He nodded again, processing what she’d told him.

Hanako had felt stupid even saying it all out loud. “I’m assuming there’d be...conditions?” She frowned. “What do you mean?” He grinned lightly. “Mah, I’d expect you’ll want me to change my behaviour in some way. Be nicer to Iruka. Stop hanging out in front of your class.” She sighed. He wasn’t understanding her.

Shifting further onto the bed, she turned and crossed her legs, forcing him to shuffle away just a little. She didn’t think he’d mind all that much. “You’re not getting me here, Kakashi-san.” “Oh?” “If...we were to be friends, then I’d want to be friends with, well, you. In other words, I’d want you to act like yourself. I mean yeah it’d be nice if you got along with Iruka, but if that’s not how you feel, then that’s okay. I want you to be yourself.”

Whatever reaction she’d expected, it certainly wasn’t the snort he gave. It sounded...derisive. “So what you’re telling me is, you’d like me to act on how I really FEEL?” Shrinking back a little, she frowned. She hadn’t quite meant it like that, but… she felt like maybe he was trying to intimidate her, and she wasn’t going to have that from a man confined to a hospital bed. So, gathering up her courage, she leaned forward.

“Let me be absolutely clear about something. I love Iruka Umino. That isn’t going to change and I expect you to respect it. I wouldn’t be friends with ANYONE who didn’t do that – not you, not anyone else. So long as you respect that, and so far you have done, the answer is YES, Kakashi-san. I’d like you to act like yourself. Asking anything else would be cruel and it wouldn’t be good for either of us.” The man’s eyes had started darting around frantically, clearly looking for an escape route, not that he’d be able to even get out of bed at the moment.

Hanako licked her lips, waiting for a response. Eventually, Kakashi met her eyes again. “Mah, Hanako-sensei, I’m hardly going to turn down an offer like that, am I?” She could just make out a grimace under his mask. “I don’t think I could turn it down, actually. So yes, whatever conditions you may have, I accept.” Hanako shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t think he could – that...didn’t sound right to her.

“Kakashi-san, I’m not trying to force you or back you into a corner or anything...” He waved her off. “No, I know. You’re being kind to me. To be honest, that’s actually worse, but it’s who you are – it’s part of why I love you anyway. Don’t worry about it. I won’t cause you any trouble either way. I won’t even...mention it. I’d like to be your...friend, Hanako-san, I really would.” She nodded dumbly. She didn’t quite believe him – or maybe she did, she couldn’t even tell herself anymore. Willing to accept his decision, however, she slid to the edge of the bed again, willing to give the man his space back.

Before she could stand up though, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her middle. “I’m sorry about this. Just...just for a minute, okay?” Her first instinct was to push him away or to pull out of his reach, but she thought better of it. He’d had these feelings, no, she corrected herself, he’d LOVED her for so long, and he’d never even gotten to touch her properly.

She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to suffer that way for so long. So she bore it, lightly resting her hand on his forearms, staying put until he withdrew. It didn’t take long, and when she stood and turned, he looked the same as he always did...plus injuries. She smiled.

“I’ve got to go now, okay? You’ll be good and stay in the hospital?” He chuckled. “Mah, after you threatened me like earlier, I don’t think I’d risk it.” She blinked in confusion until she remembered her threat to him from before. “I’m glad to hear it.” “Well, it would certainly hurt my image as an all-powerful shinobi to be dragged to the hospital by a chuunin shorter than me.”

Hanako felt her eye twitch. “What has my HEIGHT got to do with anything?” He smirked. “Nothing at all, of course.” Chuckling, she straightened out her clothes. “I’m sure that’s the truth. I’ll see you when you’re out of the hospital, okay?” He nodded. Waving at him as she walked out – through the door this time, she was relieved to find that the gossiping nurses had gone.

Making her way home leisurely, she couldn’t help but think that she’d forgotten about something – she figured it out when she got home and a pair of shoes decidedly not hers were waiting by the door. Steeling herself, she walked into her flat. Her visitor, if you could call him that, was sitting on her couch, smiling brightly. She gulped.

It was the same smile the tan man had worn in his classroom earlier. She had no doubt she was in for another lecture. “Welcome back. Had to make a stop somewhere, did you? I made you dinner.” She giggled a little awkwardly. “Ah, to be honest, I went back to the hospital. I left in a hurry this morning, so...”

In a heartbeat, his demeanour changed from mad to worried. Preferring the mother hen to the angry lecture, she let him fuss when he made her sit and then lay down on the couch. Giddy with relief, she didn’t actually have much trouble acting like she was still a little under the weather. She felt guilty, yes, but she also didn’t think she was up for another lecture quite yet.

Relishing the way Iruka fussed about her, she ended up having a far better end to her day than the beginning – and the middle – had been. In fact, the next morning was just as well. She felt...nice. She’d woken up from a good night’s sleep wrapped tightly into Iruka’s arms and managed to sneak out to make tea without waking the other man.

She really wasn’t all that bad at stealth. Smiling when she woke the man, still with plenty of time to make it to school together, they had cuddled a little. Walking arm in arm, Hanako nearly managed to forget about...well, the previous day. Getting a sweet goodbye kiss and the promise that he’d check on her between classes from Iruka, she stepped into her classroom...where a small package was sitting on her desk.

Sighing, she picked it up and opened it. Within it was a chocolate figurine – a dog. Snickering, she ate it before class. The rest of the week and the entirety of the next, she found gifts on her desk every morning. Twice, she caught Pakkun dropping off the gift, and on both occasions, she gave him a belly-rub for his ‘services’.

She’d expected the gifts to stop...but then, she had been happy when they hadn’t. She’d also noticed that the last few had been signed – they had each had a little henohenomoheji drawn on them. It wasn’t much of a signature, but it made her smile anyway. The gifts had been more of the same – some chocolate, a lily flower, rose tea and on one particular day a pastel orange hair scrunchie. That one, in particular, had made her laugh – she’d immediately put it on of course.

The Monday after that, her gift had been a little different from usual – it had been a bobble-head figure...of a scarecrow. She’d laughed at it, of course, and had put it on her desk next to her beloved paperweight – one she had eventually realised looked quite similar to Pakkun, because of COURSE it would.

Occasionally flicking the scarecrow’s head, it had amused her students quite a bit – they’d begged her to play with it. Hanako had agreed, eventually, after making them promise that they’d be careful. To her surprise, it came back unbroken, and so she set it back on her desk, facing her class. She told them it was watching them and looking out for bad behaviour. It wouldn’t work for long, but it was worth a try.

During lunch, she felt a presence – it was one she was familiar with by now. Glancing up at the tree outside her window, she spotted one silver-haired jounin, nose buried in a book. She sighed. Standing up, she opened a window and waited for him to look up. When he didn’t, she quickly formed several hand seals and took a deep breath. Focusing her chakra on her jutsu, she blew the air out – straight at the tree.

Kakashi caught the incoming ‘attack’ as it were, at the last second and hopped out of the tree. Landing lightly on his feet, he bowed to her, just a little. Shaking her head, she waved for him to come over. He looked around himself and finally pointed at himself. Laughing softly, she nodded.

After another long moment, he crossed the distance to the building and hopped up to her window. “Hello, Hanako-sensei.” His voice was a little guarded and she smiled. “Hello there. Thanks for the gifts. I liked them very much.” The man nodded, looking even more unsure now than he did before. Stepping back from the window, she waited for him to come in. He...did not. “Did I do something wrong?” Hanako blinked. “Huh? Uhm...no? Why do you ask?” “Mah, why else would you call me over?”

She felt a soft pang in her chest at his words. “Kakashi-san…you don’t have to sit in the tree. You can come to see me if you want. So long as you don’t interrupt my classes, it’s okay.” He frowned. “Are you...sure? I’m not annoying?” Giving him a wide smile, she replied. “Oh, of course, you are annoying, terribly so. Want to have lunch together?” He nodded dumbly.

Pulling her lunch-box from her bag, she perched on one of the students' benches. Kakashi was...still sitting in the window. “Well come on! Pull the chair over and sit. How are you going to eat from over there?” He nodded again and did as he was told. Having only one pair of chopsticks, Hanako ate first. “Ne, you look a little out of it. You were released from the hospital, right?”

He nodded. “Yup. This morning. Clean bill of health. In fact, they were glad I left.” She snorted, munching on one of her tempura. “How come?” He shrugged. “Apparently I was acting ‘strange’ and ‘creepy’. At least according to the nurse.” Hanako nearly choked on her food, coughing lightly.

Finishing her half of her food, she used a napkin to wipe her chopsticks clean. Handing them and her lunch-box to Kakashi, she watched him accept them awkwardly. After a few moments of holding them, he asked: “Are you...giving me your food?” “Well yes. I doubt you brought your own, so of course, I’m sharing my food with you. Don’t you want it?” He shook his head. “It’s not that. I was just...surprised.”

Setting the lunch-box down on the table, he hooked a finger under his mask and hesitated again. Eyes widening, she understood – he was hesitant about taking off his mask. With a slight smile, she leaned forwards. Reaching for his hitai-ate, she was a little surprised when he made no move to stop her. “Lend me this for a bit, m’kay?”

He nodded and she pulled his hitai-ate off. Hanako didn’t wear one herself. Sitting back, she untied the knot of the headband and retied it around her own head – covering her eyes to be precise. “Now you can eat in peace.” “Ah...thank you.” She heard a slight rustle of fabric, the scraping of chopsticks against the wood of her lunch-box.

“It’s good. Did you make this?” She nodded. “Mhm. I usually make my own lunch in the mornings.” Kakashi snickered. “So domestic.” Hanako huffed. “Problem?” “Not at all. I’ve just never...mah, I don’t think I’ve eaten home-made lunches very often.”

Hanako’s heart clenched a little again. Smiling softly, she said nothing, waiting for him to finish. It didn’t take him long at all, not in the least. Hearing the sound of him setting his chopsticks down, she reached for the hitai-ate, making sure that he had plenty of time to put his mask back in place. When she pulled it off and handed it back, she made sure to keep her eyes closed a little longer – when she opened them, his mask was in place and he was just finishing tying his hitai-ate.

“Thanks for the food.” She nodded. “Thanks for lending me that.” “You know, you didn’t have to go so far as to blindfold yourself.” Hanako chuckled. “I know but I wanted to make you feel comfortable. You seem a little...out of it today.” Kakashi tensed a little. “I’m not sure how to act. This is...new.” She nodded. “Hm, as I said...just be yourself.”

Before they could talk much more, her students started returning to class. Within moments, Kakashi was squatting in the open window, nodding his good-bye and hopping away...not that he went very far. He perched right back in his tree, reading his book. Hanako let him be – he wasn’t bothering her.

Like before, he would appear, an hour or two per day, and not every day. Instead of perching on the tree, he’d usually come over to chat to her during breaks...though not always. The gifts continued too, now all signed with the henohenomoheji. 

Hanako always made sure to make a little extra lunch, just in case he showed up around lunch again. He didn’t do so for some time, but she didn’t mind. This way, she just had extra food to share with Iruka, who was always excited to eat her food anyway. Hanako wasn’t a particularly great cook, at least she didn’t think so, but as long as it kept Iruka happy, she was satisfied too.

It was about two weeks later that the new and slightly odd routine changed. A Wednesday, Kakashi showed up for her lunch break. Rather than sitting in the tree until called, he came straight to her window – she kept it open most of the time, used to his visits by now. Her students had been oddly quiet about the strange one-eyed man that sometimes visited their teacher – something she was immensely grateful for.

She didn’t need rumours spreading around them. That aside, on said Wednesday, Kakashi came carrying a bag. She was still sat at her desk when he came in and sat down his burden. That morning’s gift – a small selection of chocolates – was still sitting on the desk as well. She hadn’t had time to eat them yet.

“Yo!” She smiled at her visitor. “Hey there. Come to have lunch together?” He nodded and she stood, vacating the seat for him and slipping onto a bench. While she set down her own lunch-box and the two sets of chopsticks she’d now taken to packing, Kakashi unpacked his own burden – a three-tiered lunch-box of his own.

“Oh wow! You brought a lot, huh?” “Mah, I wanted to make up for you sharing yours. I hope...you like it.” Hanako’s eyes widened. “You...cooked for me?” He nodded, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Should I not have? Is this inappropriate? It’s good, I promise. I’ve been...practicing.” Shaking her head strongly, Hanako lightly brushed her fingers down his arm.

“Not at all. It’s very sweet. You didn’t have to, you know. I actually made a little extra as well.” She wasn’t going to tell him she’d been doing it every day. This was the first day in a while that Iruka was at the mission desk, what with him having covered for a sick teacher before...Hanako gasped.

“What’s wrong?” She squinted at the jounin that was about to open his lunch-boxes. “You...this is the first time you’ve come to have lunch in nearly two weeks. It’s also the first time Iruka isn’t here. I don’t suppose there’s a correlation?” Kakashi snorted. “Of course there is. I know you two have lunch together. I don’t mean to intrude...plus, as I said, I was practising my cooking.”

She shook her head. “First off, you wouldn’t be. We don’t eat together EVERY day. You’re welcome to have lunch with me whenever you’d like.” He nodded, thoughtfully, before setting out his boxes. Hanako felt her mouth hang open when she saw the food – not only did it look absolutely delicious, the sheer variety of it...there were at least a dozen different dishes in the boxes.

“This must have taken you HOURS!” He smiled under his mask. “It took me a while. I’m not much of a chef.” Hanako smiled brightly. “This is amazing! I can’t wait to dig in!” Pausing for a moment, she pointed at his hitai-ate. “Want to go first? I can wait.” He shook his head empathetically.

“Not at all. I made it for you after all. Go ahead.” With a gulp, she looked around. There was so much to choose from...starting with a piece of fresh tuna, she quickly tried her way through most of the food, only avoiding the mussels and clams he’d made. Her favourite by far were his fried tempura – they were light and crispy, much better than her own.

Moaning lightly as she chomped down on the third of them, she was surprised when she saw the edge of a blush on his skin, just barely above where his mask sat. How cute, she thought to herself. The great copy-nin...blushed. Swallowing her food, she set her chopsticks down. “I’m done. Please go ahead.” He nodded. When he reached for his hitai-ate, Hanako grinned. Reaching for her hair, she opened up her ponytail instead. It had been held together by a wide blue ribbon – it was wide and long enough to cover her eyes easily. Tying it behind her head with a smile, she nodded for him to go ahead.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” “You keep your face hidden for a reason, I assume. I wouldn’t want to intrude.” She heard him chew something crunchy, then stop mid-bite. “Don’t you want to know? People always want to know.” Scratching the bridge of her nose, she slowly shook her head. “I don’t really care what you look like. I mean, whether you are covered in freckles or have beauty marks or whatever, it really doesn’t make a difference, does it?”

She smiled at her hands, back in her lap. “As for why you wear it...that’s not really my business. I’ve heard enough rumours about what great lengths you go to in order to stay hidden. If you wanted people to know, you wouldn’t keep it secret.” He sighed. “That’s true I suppose, but you’re hardly ‘people’.” She gasped lightly.

Despite their now relatively frequent meetings, he had never once mentioned or even teased at his feelings for her. She hadn’t forgotten of course – how could she? – but it had sat in the back of her mind, ignored for the most part. “What I mean to say is...Hanako-san, if you want to know, all you have to do is ask. I would tell if it was you who was asking.”

Smiling a little sadly, she reached her hand out blindly, to where she knew he was sitting. Glad when her fingers brushed against his cheek, she lightly pressed her hand against the side of his bare jaw. He leaned into her touch just a little, barely enough to be noticed. 

“Kakashi-san...that would be me taking advantage of your feelings for me, and I have no intention of doing that – ever. Certainly not for something as silly as prying into something you want to keep secret.” Withdrawing her hand, an oddly comfortable silence fell between them.

After several long moments, Kakashi mumbled a thank you. His voice sounded a little odd, but she paid it no mind. She remembered, with a slight wince, how much more difficult this had to be for him. The sounds of him eating resumed, and not too long after, he set down the chopsticks.

“Thanks for the food.” “Can I take it off?” “Please go ahead.” Untying the ribbon, she blinked at the brightness of the room. Kakashi was smiling at her – it was visible even under the mask. With surprise, she noticed that he’d eaten just about every bit of food they’d each brought – that was rather a lot. She was almost impressed. 

Stretching, she stood up to fetch her box of chocolates. Turning back, she noticed that Kakashi was holding her blue ribbon – she hadn’t tied her hair back up again. He was looking at it with a strange expression – she couldn’t interpret it, but it made her heart clench a little again. Before she could think better of it, she walked over and sat on the ground before him, rather than back on the bench.

Legs crossed, chocolates on her lap, she faced away from him. “Ah…Hanako-sensei?” Smiling to herself, she tilted her head back. “Mind helping me with my hair? You did a really good job the one time you tied it together.” He hesitated. “But...it’s not my birthday.” Hanako laughed at that. She felt him shift behind her, turning towards her more. 

“So? Who said it had to be your birthday, silly?” “But...you didn’t like it last time I did it. You were...tense.” Hanako snorted, opening her chocolate box. “Of course I didn’t like it. A strange jounin I barely knew was standing behind me – no shinobi would be comfortable like that.” “And now it’s different?” She shrugged. “Of course. I know you better now.” Another long pause later, his finger started combing through her hair.

“Thank you, Hanako-sensei.” Humming lightly, she picked up the first chocolate. “I should be the one thanking you. Want one?” He chuckled behind her. “I got them for you.” She nodded. “You don’t like sweets, do you? Sorry. I forgot.” “It’s fine. How would you like your hair?” Hanako smirked. “Don’t mind. You seem rather...skilled at doing that anyway.”

Pausing his hands for just a moment, he gathered it all together, brushing out a few tangles in the ends. “I’ve been dealing with women’s hair since I was a kid.” Hanako nearly choked on her chocolate. “Is that so? Good for you, Kakashi-san.” Hands tensing on her hair, she felt him shake his head rather strongly. “It’s not like that. When I was younger...my sensei’s wife was pregnant and she had long hair too. She always wanted special styles and such, so when she couldn’t do it herself, I had to help. She could be...scary when I got it wrong, so I learned quickly.”

Hanako laughed, eating her third chocolate. “She sounds like a handful.” Kakashi sighed. “Tell me about it. She had a nickname… the red habanéro. It was for the colour of her hair as much as for her temper. Even her husband was terrified of her, and he was the Hokage.” She felt her shoulders shake with laughter, trying to hold still for him. “That’s...well, when my mother was pregnant with my sister, she could be a handful too.” 

Releasing her hair, he started again at the sides, separating off a few bits of hair at her temples. “You have a sister?” She nodded, lightly tugging at the hair. “She’s eleven years younger than me. My mother always said she was a big surprise. What about you?” “Only child.” He replied casually. His fingers were separating another section of hair at her other temple.

“So your sensei’s wife is the reason you like playing with women’s hair?” He snorted. “No. To be honest, I hated doing it back then. I was a shinobi after all, not a hairdresser. I don’t think I’ve so much as touched a woman’s hair between her and you.” Hanako nodded again. “So...was she your first crush then?” 

Kakashi made a sound in his throat that could only be described as an ‘ew’ - if elite jounin made such noises, of course. “Hardly. I’ve never...felt like that about anyone else.” This time the tight sensation in her heart was anything but gentle or subtle and Hanako had to stop herself from touching her chest. Kakashi, in the meantime, had finished braiding the two sections of hair and was holding them together at the moment. 

“You know...I’m not sure if I’ve said it yet...” Tilting her head back far enough that she could look at him, she had to rest her head against his knee to do so. “I don’t...understand why you feel this way, certainly not about someone like me, but...I wanted to say thank you. This may not mean much to you, but I think it’s incredibly sweet. Thank you, Kakashi-san.” His visible eye wide, he didn’t react at all for a moment. Then a smile spread across his face and his fingers brushed against her cheek. “Mah, how can you even think that that would mean nothing? Everything you do matters to me.” Leaning forward again, she had to hide a blush – she hadn’t expected him to deliver a line like that.

She was well aware that that line alone would have made most women swoon – it well may have done so to her, had she not loved Iruka already. Eating her chocolates while he continued, now with the hairband, she tried to keep her mind blank. Enjoying his gentle and soft touches, she was almost disappointed when he let go.

“I’m done.” Reaching behind her, she found her hair pulled back with the band woven into it, finishing in a neat bow at the bottom. “Thank you, Kakashi-san.” She turned around, still sitting on the floor and ate another chocolate.

“So...if you didn’t like doing your sensei’s wife’s hair, what made you want to do it for me?” He lifted an eyebrow instead of responding and she felt utterly idiotic for a moment – the explanation was painfully obvious. “Okay, that sounded wrong. Is it...is it really that fun to play with my hair?”

He frowned. “I wasn’t playing with it.” Humming around another chocolate, she swallowed before continuing. “You didn’t but you wanted to, didn’t you? You did it last time when I blackmailed you into going back to the hospital.” Kakashi crossed his arms before his chest and looked away a little. “Mah, I suppose so. But don’t worry, I’ll be good. That is if you want me to do that again. If not, that’s fine too, of course.”

Hanako smiled up at the man in her chair. “I was trying to say that if you like it, it’s okay for you to play with it. Believe it or not, I actually like having my hair played with. So, you have an open invitation.” Kakashi reached forwards and picked up a strand that had fallen forwards, over her shoulder. “I’ll have to take you up on that, sensei. It’s...really soft.” Hanako blushed lightly, not hiding it this time. She liked the compliment she’d gotten.

She didn’t go out of her way with her hair, having been blessed with good genes in that regard. A sudden thought made her glance up at her friend’s hair. With a wide grin, she pointed at the silver mess. “Can I touch yours, Kakashi-san?” “Huh?” “Your hair. Can I touch it? You got to play with mine.”

He nodded slowly, tilting his head down towards her. Reaching out her fingers, she gasped lightly when her fingers made contact. “It’s soft! It looks rough but it’s really not!” Still grinning, she ran her fingers through it again, tugging lightly. “I’m glad you approve.” His voice was slightly mocking but she ignored his tone. “I do! Enough so that I’m going to pretend you weren’t mocking me just now.” Withdrawing her hand, she listened to the low chuckle from the man before her.

Sitting back, she ate the last of her chocolates and closed the box up. Taking that as some kind of sign, Kakashi straightened up the now empty boxes and put them back into his little satchel. He looked around, seemingly having gone back to what she now thought of as his typical awkwardness. It tended to surface when he wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to do something...or when he wasn’t sure if he was welcome.

Lunch break was almost over too...but then he had uncanny timing in stopping by that day of all days. Smiling brightly, she stood up from her perch on the floor. “Ne, Kakashi-sensei...how would you like to deal with twenty-three academy students today?” He snorted. “Unless I’m using them for target practice, not at all.”

Hanako laughed. The man made no secret of his...dislike of her students, not that they’d ever done anything to him. “I see. Never mind then.” She walked to her desk, well aware that he’d ask because he wouldn’t be able to stand not knowing… “Why do you ask?” And there it was. Flicking a strand of hair out of her face, she turned around and looked at the man.

“Hm, if you’re not busy this afternoon, I thought maybe you could help me out with something.” “Oh?” “We’re covering tactical jutsu at the moment. Henge, clones, you know.” He nodded. “Well, I thought you might be able to help me with a little...demonstration.”

Kakashi frowned. “What kind of demonstration?” Shrugging, she replied: “Shadow clones. I know from Naruto that you know that jutsu. It’ll be a lot easier to show them the difference between the two jutsu than to just tell them.” Crossing her arms, she added: “I can do normal clones obviously, but I don’t know the other one.” He nodded.

“Well, what do you think?” He blinked in surprise. “Sorry – of course, I’ll help you. And just to clarify-” “I know how many of them there are so I’ll notice if you steal one for target practice. So no. You can’t.” Hanging his head in mock-disappointment, he stood up and returned her chair to its proper place.

An idea crossing her mind, she told him to wait as she dashed off towards the teacher’s lounge. Grabbing a spare chair, she ran into several of her students on their way back. Accepting their ‘help’ with carrying the chair for her, she walked with them, much slower than if she’d been alone. The kids put the chair down outside of the classroom of course and dashed to their seats. Much to her surprise, as she pulled the chair in, she found her class to be in slightly different shape than normal.

Two of her students – Konohamaru and Udon – were, quite literally hanging off of Kakashi’s arms. Said man was balancing on one leg because another student – Moegi, because of course, it would be her – was clamped onto the other. Turning his face towards her as she entered, she took a moment to appreciate the pure PANIC in his eye.


	7. Chapter 7

Bursting into laughter, she nearly doubled over, leaning on the chair she’d fetched for support, wiping tears from her eyes. All students except those three were in their seats now – all of them, however, were staring at their sensei, frozen in place.

Laughter dying down to chuckles, she pushed the chair towards her desk and slid the door shut. Doing her best to put on a straight face, she set about pulling Udon off of Kakashi’s arm – he was closer to her.

The boy let go as soon as she grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled, landing on the floor with a wince when she unceremoniously dropped him. He shifted into a kneeling position and stayed put. Smart kid. Next was Konohamaru from Kakashi’s other arm – dropped next to Udon, he squirmed a little before he too settled into a kneeling position, staring at his hands.

Turning to the last kid, who was still clamped to Kakashi’s leg, suspended in mid-air, she noticed that the girl was crying. Realising that this would need a little more subtlety, she grabbed the girl under both arms and picked her off Kakashi who stood up properly with a sigh of relief. Setting Moegi down, she grabbed the girl’s hand, pulled her to her desk and gave her a tissue from her drawer. After noisily blowing her nose, the girl sniffled once and went to join her two friends in front of her desk. 

An overly smug looking Kakashi was smirking down at the kids – as if. “You can stop smirking and sit down next to Udon.” Giving her an incredulous look, she raised an eyebrow at him. After a long moment and with a low mumble, Kakashi Hatake, one of Konoha’s most powerful ninja, kneeled down next to a seven-year-old brat and sat still while she stared at all four, trying to figure out what had happened in the two or so minutes she’d been gone.

“So...who would like to explain to me what was going on?” When none of the four spoke, she turned to her class. Hanabi Hyuuga, ever the honour student raised her hand. “Hanabi?” “We came back to class and found this man on your desk, playing with your scarecrow. Konohamaru yelled that that wasn’t allowed. When the man laughed at him, Konohamaru...tried to attack him. Udon and Moegi just helped.” 

Rubbing a hand over her forehead, she nodded. Turning back to the four kneeling troublemakers, she waited for all four to look at her. “Moegi. Udon.” They both stood up. “Well done for trying to help a comrade. If I EVER catch you attacking someone who doesn’t deserve it again, I am personally going to see to it that you NEVER graduate from this academy. You are still going to sit in this classroom when you’re twenty and your friends are all chuunin. We clear?” They both nodded. “Okay. Back to your seats.” Udon went but Moegi paused next to Hanako.

“I’m sorry, sensei.” The girl was sniffling again. “It’s okay Moegi. You were trying to do the right thing. Next time, just think a little before you act, okay?” The girl nodded. Facing back to the other two. “Konohamaru.” The boy stood. With a rather mean smile, if she had to say so herself, she continued. “Let me introduce you to the man you attacked. This is Kakashi Hatake, one of Konoha’s most skilled jounin, and a close friend of mine.” Konohamaru shrunk a little at her words.

“Now, Konohamaru, you are lucky that Kakashi-san is such a kind man because if it had been some other jounin you attacked for no reason, you could be in the hospital right now, or worse. Do you understand me?” The boy nodded, the tiniest inclination of his head. Well aware of Kakashi’s smile, she turned to him next. “You don’t need to grin either. What are you thinking? Goading a bunch of pre-genin like that? You’re supposed to be the adult here. You should really know better.” Pausing for a little bit of dramatic effect, she waited for the quiet giggles from behind her to die down.

“Konohamaru, Kakashi-san. Apologise to each other. Now.” Both heads shot up, wearing nearly identical indignant expressions. It was all Hanako could do not to start laughing again. With clenched teeth, Kakashi apologised first. “Sorry for teasing you, Konohamaru-kun.” Smiling warmly, she nodded at the jounin who stood up gracefully. Now towering over the kid, she noticed that Konohamaru was far from apologetic.

He was looking at her with a defiant expression. “But sensei! I didn’t do anything wrong! He was playing with the scarecrow and that’s not allowed. Also, Iruka-sensei says-” “Iruka-sensei? What does he have to do with this?” Konohamaru was near tears. “H-He always says how the silver-haired man is bad news and not a nice person. So, w-when I found him here, I tried to do the right thing!” 

Hanako was frowning at the boy. Walking over to him, she knelt down to be eye-level with him. “Okay listen up, Konohamaru. First off, Kakashi-san is one of the best ninjas Konoha has ever had. I’m sure you just misunderstood Iruka-sensei. Also, Kakashi-san is a good friend of mine and I wouldn’t be friends with bad people, now would I?” The boy shook his head, sniffling a little.

“And last – he’s allowed to play with the scarecrow because it was a gift from him. Do you understand that?” The boy nodded. “Okay. Now please apologise to Kakashi-san.” Nodding again, the boy turned to the jounin and, with a light bow and a shaky voice, apologised before dashing to his seat.

Shaking her head at the unexpected complications, she lightly tugged on Kakashi’s sleeve to pull him with her, behind her desk. Fixing the second chair next to hers so they could talk more easily, they both sat. “I’m sorry about that.” “Mah, it’s fine, they’re just kids.” She shook her head. “What? Not that! I meant that he heard from Iruka...I can’t believe he would say something like that, and to kids! I’m really sorry. I’m going to have a word with him later.”

Kakashi waved her off. “It’s fine. You don’t need to trouble yourself on my behalf.” Giving him an incredulous look, she sighed. “I’m definitely going to bring it up because it’s just not acceptable for an academy teacher to say nonsense like that, especially in front of students.”

“Nonsense, huh?” She could just make out his crooked smile through his mask. “Of course it’s nonsense. You’re an incredibly kind and considerate person and easily one of Konoha’s best shinobi. Whether he personally likes you or not, he absolutely shouldn’t talk badly about you.” Kakashi sighed lightly, and where his hand was covered by her desk, lightly touched her forearm.

It was a feather-light touch and only for a moment before he withdrew. “Thank you, Hanako-sensei.” She shrugged. “Are you still up for helping me with my demonstration? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Nodding, she stood and faced her class. They’d been speaking too quietly for the students to hear them. Beginning her lecture, she was aware of Kakashi’s eyes on her during class. He never spoke, never interrupted in any way, simply sat there and watched her. Soon enough, the kids stopped paying attention to the strange man in their class and focused on her lesson.

When it was time to demonstrate the jutsu, Kakashi did so. They both created clones at the same time – Hanako’s perfectly visible but not corporeal, Kakashi’s a physical clone. After showing that her clone was mobile but you could simply reach through it, she asked Kakashi to lightly spar with his clone. He obliged, performing a series of simple and slow attacks and parries that had her students oohing and aahing.

Covering her smile, she watched him put on a little show. With a final punch to the gut, he made the clone disappear in a puff of smoke, much to the delight of her students. Hanako had expected him to leave immediately after, but he simply sat back down in his chair until her lesson was finished. It was the last one of the day since Wednesday was a shorter day for the kids – they had weapon’s training for the rest of the afternoon. Dismissing the kids a few minutes early, she stepped behind the jounin in his chair. If she hadn’t known that he was acutely aware of his surroundings, she’d have said he might be napping.

Taking a chance, she lightly placed her hands on his shoulders. He didn’t tense under her touch, but his shoulders were tight nevertheless. Massaging lightly, she thanked him for its help. “Mah, it was nothing.” “Mh, on the contrary. You got them to focus on class right before weapons training. That’s not easy.” Massaging a little harder, she heard him groan softly.

“I’m about to head to the mission room. Would you like to come with me?” Moaning lightly, Kakashi relaxed a fraction under her hands as she did her best to work out some of the tension he carried there. “If you keep that up, I’ll let you neuter me.” His voice sounded low and a little breathless. Well aware that she was blushing, she kept working his shoulders.

“I’d think you’d want to keep that particular...privilege for your Pakkun.” Kakashi snorted. “He’s not neutered. Ninken normally aren’t...it just isn’t done.” Hanako chuckled. “Makes sense. I’d imagine explaining that to him...well, I’d rather not think about it, honestly.” He nodded. “So, about the mission room?” With a sigh, Kakashi leaned his head back against the back of the chair. She could see his exposed eye was closed.

“As I said. Keep doing that and I’ll follow you anywhere.” Her hands paused a little, almost of their own accord, before she continued. “Mah, I’d do that anyway, heavenly massage or not.” Somewhat amazed by how calm he was being about...all this, she couldn’t help but joke to diffuse some of the tension in the air. “Heavenly, huh?” He simply nodded, another groan tearing it’s way from his throat when she tackled a particularly sore spot near his spine.

Eventually letting go when her hands started to hurt, it took Kakashi a moment to open his eye and sit up with a sigh. “Thank you, Hanako-sensei. That...felt wonderful.” She nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see, and packed up her bag. “Shall we go?” “Mhm. Ah, why exactly are we going there?” She snorted. “Because that’s where Iruka is.” “And...” “I told you I was going to talk to him about what he said to the students.”

Kakashi faltered in his step before catching up with her. “But...at the mission desk? And now? I assumed you meant later...in private.” She snorted. “I may not look it right now, but I’m very, very angry at him. What he said was completely unacceptable and if he doesn’t like me yelling at him in public, he shouldn’t talk crap.” Leaving the academy grounds, Hanako was surprised at Kakashi’s silence.

“It’s...not a big deal. I’d rather you not say anything.” “Why?” Her voice sounded a little exasperated, but there was no helping that. “What if this...impacted your relationship?” Hanako barked a harsh laugh. “Wouldn’t you LIKE that?” A heavy silence fell for a few steps. Looking at the other man, she saw that he was frowning. “No, I would not. As I have said, I want you to be happy. That’s...all I want. And since Iruka makes you happy I don’t want you to jeopardise that over nothing.” Pausing in the middle of the road, she looked up at the taller man.

“Kakashi-san...I’d be doing this, whether it was you, Kurenai, Asuma or anyone else. It’s not okay to say stuff like that to kids. Though I admit, I also don’t take kindly to people talking about my friends like that. Not even my own boyfriend. Now...are you coming?” He nodded, slowly, and fell into step next to her.

Hanako nodded at the people she knew on her way to the mission room. Kakashi followed behind her, gathering a few curious looks. Opening the door to the mission room she saw that it was mostly empty, only two of the four desks were manned – one by Iruka.

A few chuunin and jounin were standing around, looking curiously at her arrival – she almost never came here after all. She watched a warm smile spread on his face when he saw her enter, followed by a confused frown when he spotted Kakashi behind her. The last expression was pure shock, when, with a scowl, she stalked over, nearly knocking a poor chuunin out of the way and slammed her hands onto his desk so hard two scrolls fell off of it.

“Wha-” “Why the fuck did I hear one of my students telling me that you had been talking crap about one of Konoha’s best today, Iruka?” The man leaned back in his chair, eyes huge. Well aware that the attention of everyone in the room was on her now, she waited for a response. “I...I don’t know what you-” “Bullshit. You know perfectly well what I mean. See, I asked Kakashi-san to help me demonstrate a jutsu today and THREE OF MY STUDENTS ATTACKED HIM. You should know well enough how DANGEROUS it is to attack a jounin, no matter the situation. When I asked them WHY, they told me that YOU had been telling them what a bad person Kakashi-san was.”

Iruka was looking rather pale, but she couldn’t have cared less. Now well and truly caught up in her anger, she noticed that a few more shinobi were tip-toeing into the room, in order to listen. Uncaring, she kept her eyes focused on her boyfriend.

“W-Why were you asking Kakashi-sensei for help anyway?” Hanako growled lightly. “I’m sorry, did you somehow not hear the questions I asked you? What the hell were you thinking?” Iruka was spluttering a little. “W-Well, I never expected they’d take it seriously. I was just...talking to myself.” He scoffed. “Besides, it’s not like I lied.” Lurching over the desk, it was pure adrenaline that enabled her to drag the taller man over the desk to stand in front of her, wiping most of his paperwork off the desk as she went. 

“You don’t think it’s wrong to teach a bunch of kids that one of Konoha’s heroes is ‘bad news’ or ‘not a nice person’?” Letting go of his collar, she stepped back. “I personally don’t care what you think of him, and quite frankly I don’t think he does either, but YOU are a teacher-” She jabbed her finger into his chest. Iruka winced.

“-and you should damn well know better.” He winced again, at another jab and rubbed his chest. “Why...why do you suddenly care so much? You know that Kakashi-sensei and I...don’t get along.” She scoffed. “Oh, I know. Naruto knows. I’m pretty sure THE HOKAGE knows. You’re both adults, I expect you to be able to deal with it on your own. Kakashi-san happens to be my FRIEND, and if he can manage not to say a single unkind word about you in the entire time I’ve known him, then I’m sure YOU can restrain yourself from saying stuff TO MY STUDENTS.”

Iruka backed away from her and she felt a soft hand settle on her shoulder. Spinning around, she came face to face with Kakashi. “I think that’s enough, Hanako-sensei...you’re drawing an audience.” He pointed at the rest of the room. It had filled quite a bit, now contained dozens of shinobi that were eagerly listening.

Most of them now wore disappointed expressions, unhappy that he’d interrupted her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded at Kakashi. His hand slipped from her shoulder, and when she looked back at Iruka, she saw that his face was flushed – unlike his normal blushes though, it wasn’t a very good look, his mouth pressed in a thin line.

Straightening up a little, she addressed Iruka again. “I’m assuming nothing like this is ever going to happen again?” He nodded, not meeting her gaze. “Great. Now then...” Facing the rest of the room, she noted that most of the shinobi, regardless of rank, backed away a little. “Don’t you people have WORK?” With an exasperated huff, she left the room. She made it halfway down the hallway when a strong arm encircled her from behind, pulling her into an unused meeting room.

She found herself manhandled against a wall, one hand cushioning the back of her head as the other wrapped around her lower back, a hard body pressing against hers, a face – a masked face – pressing against her throat. Confused and startled, she simply held still as the jounin pressed himself against her. He was shaking, she felt, to her surprise, and since he wasn’t moving at all, she tentatively settled her arms on his back.

His trembling increased a little, even as the arm around her lower back loosened. The hand on her head withdrew too, Kakashi instead supporting himself against the wall behind her. Their only points of contact were her arms on his back and his face against her throat. “Sorry...” he whispered throatily. “I just...just for a minute...” Understanding...something, at least, she stayed still, the trembling jounin in her arms. She wasn’t holding him very strongly and let go as soon as he pulled back.

Looking into his eye, leaning over her as he was, there was something in his gaze that took her breath away. He looked so fragile, so very...vulnerable that she shuddered. He’d stopped trembling, she noticed with some relief, and he wasn’t crying either, but whatever it was she could see in his eye, it made her want to protect this man, no matter how much more powerful than her he was.

Resisting the urge to reach up and touch him, she instead settled for what she was hoping was a reassuring smile. He took a shuddering breath and closed his eye, giving her back the ability to breathe. When next he opened his eye, whatever she had seen in it was hidden again, his expression almost normal.

“Are you alright?” He shuddered above her. “I should be asking YOU that. Did I hurt you, pulling you in here?” She shook her head mutely. “That’s...good at least. I’m sorry about being so...dramatic. It’s just...” She smiled. “Kakashi-san...you don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. It’s okay. You...needed that. It’s okay. I’m not mad.” She was...confused if anything.

Kakashi shook his head empathetically. “No, I want to say this. It’s just… I became a genin at five, chuunin at six. I’ve been a jounin since I was 11 and I...I don’t think that, at any point since I so much as graduated the academy, ANYONE stood up for me like that.”

Eyes wide, she felt her heart clench painfully again. When she’d first met Kakashi, she’d had no idea about...well, anything really. Now it seemed like every time they spoke, she learned something else that made her want to wrap him in a warm blanket and whisper to him that things would be okay.

Reaching up carefully with both hands, she lightly framed his face with her fingers. “Kakashi-san...I meant what I said. You’re my friend. That means that things like this...they’re okay. Friends touch. Friends hug.” Gently releasing his face, she was surprised when he chuckled. “Mah, that may be, Hanako-chan, but friends probably don’t have the urge to kneel down and kiss said friend’s feet because that’s the only way they can think of expressing how grateful they are.” Gaping up at him, Hanako barely stopped herself from stuttering nonsense at him.

While she’d...known that his feelings for her were a little unusual, to say the least, this still came as a shock, and not a pleasant one. She’d felt...flattered, that he had feelings for her, but now she just felt terrible – she’d hardly done anything to warrant such...devotion from this man.

“Do you hate me yet?” “Hate?” She asked distractedly, still trying to make sense of it all, still leaning against the wall. He chuckled darkly. “For feeling this way, for forcing this one you, for acting overly familiar, for being pathetic, take your pick. I’m well aware of how twisted I am and I don’t expect you to be patient forever.” Unable to resist the sudden urge to do so, she hugged him, firmly against herself. 

Kakashi stood, frozen, not moving from his position against the wall. Sounding a little shakier than she’d planned on, she spoke in a low voice. “Kakashi-san. I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. The man you’re talking about there, he’s my friend, so stop talking nonsense about him.” Taking a deep breath, she continued with a steadier voice. “You’re not pathetic, you’re not...twisted, you’re just upset. It’s...okay to be upset. I understand this isn’t easy for you. If...if hugging you every once in a while can make things easier for you, I don’t mind.”

“Can I...hug you back?” His voice sounded small. “Of course, silly.” In a heartbeat, two strong arms wrapped around her again, a lot more gently this time. After a few long moments of silence, he stepped back. “Thank you, Hanako-sensei. I...feel a lot better.” She nodded, not entirely sure she believed him, but understanding his need to...retreat as it were.

“I’m glad.” Smiling softly, she stepped a little towards the door. “I’m pretty tired, so I think I’m going to head home now.” She almost made it sound like a question, wondering if he’d say anything else. When he simply nodded and smiled at her, she reached for the handle of the door. Glancing back at him one last time, she left the room. Walking the rest of the way to the exit, she was rather glad not to run into anyone.

In fact, she was glad not to have run into anyone she knew at all by the time she got home. Slipping off her shoes and falling straight into bed, she ignored the soft knocking on her door a few hours later. She knew it was Iruka, likely there to apologise. She didn’t want to see him. After a few knocks, the person left, much to her relief.

Rolling over, she buried her face in her pillow. What a day! After nearly two weeks of a routine, today had knocked it all over again...and once again, Kakashi had been at the centre of it all somehow. She shivered, remembering the meeting room from before. The things he’d said, the way he’d looked at her...Hanako suddenly felt like she was in too deep.

She’d thought she’d be able to deal with his feelings, she’d been sure of it. Now she wasn’t anymore. Could they even be friends if he felt that...much? Shuddering, she had to admit to herself that she didn’t know. She’d felt so confident in offering to be his friend, and she’d enjoyed his presence in her life immensely, but suddenly she wasn’t sure whether she’d been taking advantage of him.

Was she being cruel? The last thing she wanted was to hurt the strange but wonderful man that had somehow wormed his way into her life. But then...what if that’s what she was doing already? He was hard enough to read as it was, and given her utter inexperience with being on the receiving end of feelings like the ones he had for her… not that she really knew what unrequited love felt like either.

Hanako had always been the type to fall in love later while dating someone she liked. That’s how it had happened with Iruka, and her boyfriends before him. Well aware that she should have probably considered this sooner, she thought about how she had absolutely no frame of reference for any of this. 

Groaning into her pillow, her mind wandered back to one comment, in particular, Kakashi had made - ‘the urge to kneel down and kiss his friend’s feet’ he’d said, and she didn’t doubt he meant it literally. A very, very small part of her mind, one that she stomped on almost immediately, considered what that would feel like, what it would be like to have the powerful jounin practically worshipping her…

Shaking her head, she forced the thought from her mind. Focusing, very deliberately, on making herself dinner, she was proud of herself when she managed to go a full ten minutes without thinking about either Kakashi or Iruka. Forcing down her food, she went to bed soon after – to bed, not to sleep.

By the time she finally slept, the moon was already well past its highest point. Unsurprisingly, the next morning she woke up feeling utterly terrible. Getting ready for work, she dragged herself to school more than she walked. Entering her classroom, she was only marginally surprised to find a huge bouquet of flowers on her desk. A card was placed in the bouquet. 

Pulling it out, she dropped into her chair, putting her feet up on the second chair that was still sitting where she’d left it. To her surprise the card wasn’t signed with a henohenomoheji – in fact, it wasn’t signed at all, but it did have a handwritten message.

Having seen enough of his handwriting on homework, she recognised it as Iruka’s. ‘I’m sorry for being an ass. Please forgive me?’ the card read. She put it under the flower vase when something landed on her out-stretched legs. “Yo.” Pakkun mimicked his owner’s customary greeting.

“Hey, Pakkun.” Surprised by how tired her voice sounded, she sighed. “Looks like you’ve got a second admirer now? I decided to hang back with today’s gift, just in case.” She nodded, grateful. “Thank you, Pakkun. Uh, what is it?” The dog jumped off her legs, out the window and returned a few moments later with a rather big box. It didn’t look like the usual boxes either – where they were usually fancy and neatly decorated, this one was plain brown, held closed by a parcel-string.

Taking the box from Pakkun’s mouth, she placed it on her lap. Normally, she’d have been happy with her daily gift...but, not that day. Pakkun settled back on her legs, watching her carefully. “You okay? You look down.” She shrugged. “I had a long day yesterday. Didn’t sleep well.” Pakkun huffed. “Humans, always make things complicated.”

She chuckled, scratching his ears. “Well, I wish I could say you were wrong.” “Is it the boss that has made things difficult?” She shook her head. “No, it’s nobody’s fault but my own. I...think I think too much.” Pakkun barked a laugh. “That’s true of most people. Can I help?” She smiled at the small dog. “Hm, yes actually. Can I give you a hug?” Pakkun huffed. “Okay but just this once.” Gently picking up the dog, she placed him against her shoulder and lightly squeezed him. Shaking himself as soon as she let go of him, he asked: “Feel better now?”

Smiling an only half-forced smile, she nodded. “Much. Thank you, Pakkun.” He hopped off, towards the window. “Ah, Pakkun?” “Hm?” “Is, by chance...Kakashi thinking too much too?” The dog growled. “You know it.” She nodded. “Then, please give him a message from me...” The dog nodded. “Tell him it’ll be fine and that stressing himself will give him wrinkles. Tell him he’s already gone grey so he can’t afford wrinkles as well.” Pakkun snickered in an oddly human-like way and nodded, before leaping away.

Hanako smiled – maybe her day wouldn’t be that bad after all. It wasn’t, in the end. Her kids behaved well enough – Konohamaru and his two friends actually came and apologised again, warming her heart a little. Iruka stopped by for lunch, acting rather like a kicked puppy. She forgave him as long as he promised not to do it again – he did, of course.

It wasn’t until the end of her lunch break that Iruka pointed at the brown box that had been sitting on her desk since morning and asked what it was. Hanako nearly choked on her rice. She didn’t know, having forgotten about the gift entirely. Iruka didn’t know about the gifts Kakashi had been giving her...so she settled on a half-truth since she didn’t want to lie to him.


	8. Chapter 8

“Don’t know. It’s from Kakashi.” “Huh? You haven’t opened it?” She shook her head and picked up the box. The man had never given her...inappropriate gifts before, so she really didn’t have much reason to worry. Untying the string that held the box closed, she first noticed that the box was...old. It was of good quality but clearly over a decade if not two old.

Carefully opening the lid, she first found a piece of white velvet. Exchanging a curious glance with Iruka who was just as curious as her, she lifted the fabric. Underneath was...a tanto. The short knife was in a sheath – dark leather with a few carvings but no distinguishing marks. 

This was the first time she’d received a weapon of any sort, not counting when he’d returned her kunai. Gently lifting the weapon out of the box, she put the box aside and looked more closely at the weapon. “What do you think this is?” “Hn, a weapon obviously. Any idea why he’d give you something like this?” She shook her head and wrapped her hand around the handle.

Letting go, she gasped lightly. “What is it? Are you okay?” Iruka’s concern was touching. “I’m fine. It’s a chakra blade. I think...I think it was crafted for a specific chakra nature and it’s not mine.” Iruka nodded. “Wind, right? Want me to try? Wind is unusual.” Handing the weapon to her boyfriend, she watched as he grasped the handle...and pulled back a moment later with a curse. Shaking his hand out, she saw that he had...burns on his palm.

“What in the world?” Shaking her head, she lightly tapped the handle again. It didn’t hurt her, not at all. All she felt was the light pulling sensation that was normal when picking up a chakra weapon. “So it’s not earth or fire, hm?” Iruka frowned. “No. But...I don’t think you should touch it. If it’s dangerous...” 

Hanako hummed. “It’s not hurting me. I think...I think it could be made for lightning maybe? I’d have said lightning or fire, but since it’s not fire...” Iruka nodded, concern evident on his face as she wrapped her hand around the weapon.

Even without directing chakra into the weapon, she could feel it warming to her touch. “Are you a lightning user?” She shook her head mutely as she pulled the weapon out of its sheath. Hanako couldn’t suppress a gasp when her gaze fell on the blade. It was tempered steel of course, but it was so light in colour it was practically white.

“Wow! It’s beautiful.” Iruka almost whispered. Hanako nodded, standing up. “I think...I think I shouldn’t swing it in here. Let’s go outside.” Iruka nodded, still lightly rubbing his palm. Hanako felt no pain at all, sliding the sheath of the short blade through one of her belt loops. 

Hopping out the window with Iruka, she faced away from the school, towards a few trees further away. Falling into a battle stance, she raised the blade and swung it a few times. “How is it?” She shrugged. “It feels like a really, really well-crafted blade. Let me try it with chakra.”

Running chakra through her hand and into the blade, she gasped. The blade had gone from looking almost white to a bright glowing white. Sharpening her wind chakra along the blade, she swung it again – just once. She didn’t get further than that because as she moved the blade, a wave of chakra radiated from the blade and sliced through the air.

It hit the trees some several dozen paces away and...felled one of them. The two flanking it were cut as well, but not enough to fall over. Hanako was standing there, with her mouth open, gaping at the trees. Iruka wore a very similar expression. “That’s...I know what you’ve got there.” Iruka forced out, voice strangled.

“What is it?” Iruka rubbed a hand over the scar on his nose. “It’s...that’s the weapon Kakashi’s father used to fight with. He was known as the White Fang for his favourite attack...it looked much like that, except it wasn’t made of wind.” She nodded, carefully sheathing the weapon.

“Lightning, right?” Iruka nodded. “Why in the world would he give you this, though?” Hanako shrugged. She wasn’t sure either. “Maybe because I defended him yesterday? He...he said that nobody had ever bothered to do that for him before.” Iruka snorted. “Yes, that’s because he doesn’t have any friends to take his side.”

Hanako frowned. “He does have a friend – me.” “You said that yesterday...you’re not seriously friends with him, right? He’s a pervert! He reads porn in public!” She snorted at his indignant response. “So? That’s got nothing to do with me, does it?” “But...but...it’s disgusting!” She shrugged. “Is it really so much worse than what other people do? Ebisu spies on the women’s baths every once in a while.”

Iruka grimaced. “Well...that’s bad too of course...” Hanako sighed. “Why exactly DO you hate him so much?” Her boyfriend shrugged, crossing his arms before his chest. “I...don’t like the way he teaches Naruto. He’s rude. He was rude that time we had dinner together too.” She perked up. “Oh? What did he say?”

Iruka snorted. “When you were busy chatting with Naruto, he leaned over and told me that you could do better than me.” Biting her lip, she unsuccessfully tried to fight a laugh bubbling up in her chest. “Oh, Iruka...that’s it? That’s not much reason to treat someone so badly, is it?”

He sighed. “Maybe not...but somehow he rubs me the wrong way. There’s...something. I can’t put my finger on it, exactly, but I know there’s something...off about him.” Hanako swallowed. Iruka was perceptive, that was for sure. “When did you start to think so?” “Don’t know. A while after we met, I think.”

There went her hope that it had nothing to do with her after all. Hanako considered what to do – Iruka may not have any idea how Kakashi felt about her, but he was perceptive enough to know something was up. She’d have to be careful with both men – she was relatively certain either could easily be provoked into attacking the other, and she knew that in either scenario, Iruka would be dead.

Smiling softly, she hooked her arm into his and turned back to the school building. “Well, I’d appreciate it if you could be civil to him. I plan on staying friends with him.” Iruka sighed. “If that’s what you want. Just...be careful. He’s a dangerous man. Speaking of dangerous...you’re returning the weapon right?”

Hanako smiled softly. “Hm, don’t think so. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” “But it’s dangerous!” She gave him an odd look – what would be the point of a weapon that WASN’T dangerous? “Oh, you know what I mean. It burned me! What if it does that to you next?” Hanako glanced at the weapon at her hip. “I don’t think it will. I’ll speak to him about it though.”

Pacified, Iruka nodded. They kissed goodbye at the door to her classroom after climbing back up through the window, just in time for her students to return to class. The afternoon went by well enough, and by the end, she decided it was a passable day after all.

Since Iruka had plans that evening, Hanako decided to go out with friends as well – Kurenai and Asuma had invited her out for drinks. After hurrying home and changing into civilian clothing, she looked at herself in the mirror, ready to go out. She’d chosen a relatively tame dress – short but closed at the neck. Sleeveless but warm enough, it was ideal for the late spring weather they were having. Her eyes stole to the tanto she’d set on her bed. After a long moment of hesitation, she dug out a thigh holster and strapped the weapon to her right thigh.

The dress concealed it easily enough, and she actually felt more comfortable with weapons on her, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Brushing out her hair and leaving it open for once, she lightly dampened the lengths of it to make it curl up a little. Satisfied, she made her way to the bar where she was meeting her friends.

Hanako had befriended the two jounin some time ago, after meeting them through one of Iruka’s friends. Iruka himself wasn’t too close to them, but they got along well on the odd occasion where they went out together.

Spotting them from down the road, Hanako waved at the pair that was waiting for her. “Hey, Hanako-san!” “Hi there. Hope you didn’t wait long?” “Not at all.” The brunette jounin smiled at her warmly, while her companion just nodded. Pushing open the door, he led the two women into the bar.

It was one frequented almost exclusively by shinobi – particularly, jounin and tokubetsu jounin, not that there weren’t enough chuunin as well. Hanako felt comfortable in the low light and surprisingly soft décor. “How were the kids today?” Smiling at her friend, Hanako shook her head. “No worse than usual. What about your team? You’ve got Hanabi’s older sister, don’t you?” Kurenai nodded.

“Oh, they’re fine. We had a mission earlier today...I came straight here. Didn’t even have time to change.” She noted that the woman was wearing her usual loose dress and that it was indeed looking a little...worn.

“What was the mission?” Asuma snickered next to them. “I’ll get you ladies drinks while she tells you.” Nodding gratefully, she turned to Kurenai. “So we were hired by a client to find her runaway husband. Apparently, he’d gone and stolen some money and run away with his mistress. C-class mission, nothing too special.” She nodded. “Well...pretty soon we found the guy but he denied it all. We dragged him back to the client and she said it was the wrong person.” Taking a big gulp from the glass that Asuma had put down before her, she sighed. “She’d given us a photo and all, but apparently we had it wrong. So, Hinata stayed with her and the guy while the rest of us went out again. We looked around with the photo and wouldn’t you know it, we find ANOTHER guy that looks exactly like the first one.”

Sipping her own drink, she nodded. “We drag him back too, and it’s STILL the wrong guy.” Kurenai chuckled lightly. “At this point, the client mentions that her husband has two brothers and that they are TRIPLETS.” Hanako giggled a little. “Apparently we’d found the other two. So, we go out again and can’t find the third one ANYWHERE. Ultimately, just ready to give up, we asked the client for an item of his. Akamaru, the ninken of one of my kids sniffs it and goes to find him.”

Hanako nodded – it was a sensible approach, given the...circumstances. “Well he led us to a guy alright, but he looked NOTHING like the picture. At that point we were all tired and fed up so we just brought back that guy.” Hanako waited for what she was sure was the highlight of the story.

Kurenai took another gulp of her drink. “The third guy was the right one. He WAS the third of the triplets...but he was about three times as heavy as the other two, having gotten fat. The picture she gave us had been of one of the other two.” Hanako giggled again, all the while wincing in sympathy.

“Oh wait it’s not over yet. The REASON she gave us a photo of one of his brothers was, and I quote ‘because she didn’t think it mattered since they all looked alike anyway’.” Having heard enough, Hanako burst into laughter. Kurenai had clearly had one of...those days.

“We collected our pay, wrote the report and just...went our separate ways. I don’t think any of us said a single word after we left that woman’s house.” Hanako nodded, doing her best to look supportive in between her giggles. “I’m...so sorry, Kurenai-san.” “I’d find that more believable if you could keep a straight face.” The woman lamented.

Asuma, who had been quiet so far, interjected: “Told you people would react that way. Don’t feel bad Hanako-san, I had the same reaction. Heck, Kotetsu had the same reaction when he read the mission report.” Hanako grinned. “Oh, in a few days, or maybe a week, you’ll see the humour in it now. Have another drink, you’ll feel better.”

The jounin did as instructed, relaxing a little. “How about your team, Asuma?” The man shrugged. “Just training today. Shikamaru said it was a drag, Ino complained that Sakura got to train with Sasuke and Chouji complained it wasn’t lunch-time...even though he was eating anyway.” She nodded. “Pretty much the same as usual. We’re going to have missions tomorrow though. Don’t know what yet.” Hanako nodded, about to ask another question when she spotted a familiar sight – well, partially familiar sight.

A shock of silver hair was currently shuffling to the bar, where most conversations had died down. Asuma noticed her looking at Kakashi and chuckled. “Ah, it’s the same whenever he comes here.” She glanced at him. “Oh?” “Mh...people always act like he’s a phantom and he ends up sitting alone in a corner with his drink.” Hanako frowned. “Why not invite him over?”

Asuma chuckled. “We’ve tried. He never accepts though. He prefers being alone I think.” Hanako snorted. “Mind if I go ask?” Both jounin shook their heads, though Kurenai was looking a little confused. Slipping off her seat, she wove her way through the full bar. Kakashi had just gotten his drink and was headed for the balcony when she caught up to him and grabbed hold of his sleeve.

He clearly hadn’t seen her if the expression in his eye when he turned was anything to go by. Giving him a wide smile, she waved hello. “Hello there. Want to come sit with us?” The man swallowed. “Us? I don’t think Iruka-” “He’s not here. It’s just me, Kurenai and Asuma.” Kakashi looked over her shoulder and reluctantly nodded. Letting go of his sleeve, she stood on her tiptoes in order to be able to whisper in the loud bar.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He shook his head, leaning down a little as well. “Mah I’d like to. I just...didn’t want you to think that I’m here because...I mean, I didn’t know you were here. Are you sure you want me around?” Giving him a mock-glare, she took his hand and pulled him with her.

To her surprise, people parted easily, letting them return to the table in no time. Kurenai and Asuma each wore rather...dumb-founded expressions when they came back, but still shuffled along on the bench to make space for the new arrival.

Kakashi just nodded and greeted them with a ‘Yo!’. Hanako sipped her drink as the three jounin sized each other up. “Tired of your brats too, Kakashi-sensei?” Asuma broke the ice. Kakashi seemed a little surprised, but only for a moment. “Mah, you know it. Sakura and Naruto...they’re a lot.” Asuma nodded.

“I’m glad I’ve not got those three if I’m honest.” Kurenai nodded too and Hanako felt strangely obligated to defend Naruto. “He’s not so bad! Naruto I mean.” All three jounin gave her a strange look. “I mean, he’s got too much energy and all, but he’s not a bad kid.” Kurenai snorted. “Spend much time with him?”

Hanako shrugged. “He visits Iruka a lot so I see him when I’m over at his.” The woman nodded. “What, and you date him anyway? I don’t know if I could do it.” Asuma sniggered. Hiding a snort, Hanako dryly replied: “Naruto or not, I don’t think you’re Iruka’s type, Asuma-san. Far as I know he’s not into facial hair.”

The jounin gaped at her, while Kurenai howled with laughter and even Kakashi chuckled. Taking another sip of her drink, Hanako relaxed a little. She’d feared things might be tense but it wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Turning back to Kakashi, she asked about his other two team members. “Has Sakura stopped drooling over Sasuke yet?” He shook his head.

“Not at all. She’s so...obvious about it too.” Hanako nodded. “Asuma-san just said that Ino is complaining about not being with Sasuke as well.” Kakashi glanced at the other man who raised his glass. “Mah, I don’t know which of the two is worse if I’m honest. I mean, Ino has that mind-possession jutsu...I’d rather not have a girl with a crush AND that skill on my team.” Hanako laughed at the idea – there were several things she could think of using that skill for, and not a single one of them was all that...ethical.

“What about you, Kurenai? Any crushes?” Kurenai huffed. “Well… I’m lucky because Hinata doesn’t like Sasuke. She does, however...like Naruto.” Hanako gasped. “Really? Oh god, does he know?” She shook her head. “Nah. Everyone BUT him has it figured out by now but Hinata is so shy she can barely even talk to Naruto without passing out.”

Chuckling, Hanako shook her head. “Young love...Were we that bad at that age?” All three jounin with her empathetically shook their heads. “Definitely not. I didn’t have my first crush until after I became a chuunin when I was 12.” Asuma said and she grinned. “Late bloomer?” The man frowned, taking another drink. “Nah, just didn’t like any of the girls in my circle.”

She nodded. “What about you Kurenai?” “Hm...I know a couple of boys liked me but I wasn’t interested until I was about 14.” She nodded. “What about you, Hanako-sensei?” Kakashi’s quiet voice was teasing and she grinned at the man, ignoring the startled expression on Kurenai’s face. “Hm...I didn’t like the boys at my academy. There weren’t many of us but I didn’t like any of them anyway. My first crush...well, it was someone older actually. A travelling shinobi about six years older than me came through the village. He was really good-looking, long black hair and not at all childish like the boys in my village… I don’t think I ever even spoke to him in person, but he was definitely my first crush...well, mine and that of every other female genin in my town.”

Her table-mates all laughed. “So you like em long-haired, huh?” Asuma teased, wriggling his eyebrows in a deliberately suggestive manner. “Good for old Iruka-kun.” Laughing at his tone, she shook her head, then thought better of it. “Well, I guess I do like long hair on men, but that’s not why I like Iruka. He’s just so...cute!”

“Oh god no, we’re not going there! I do NOT want to hear how lovey-dovey you two are!” An exasperated-sounding Kurenai exclaimed. Hanako laughed – Kurenai made no secret of how sickeningly sweet she found them, and they teased each other about it rather mercilessly. Aware of another set of intense eyes on her though, she subtly looked at Kakashi while Kurenai moaned to Asuma about ‘overly romantic chuunin’.

Kakashi was gripping his glass tightly, a stiffness in his form that hadn’t been there before. Abruptly realising that it was probably a little painful to hear her talk about being happy with Iruka, she decided to change the topic.

Shifting her thigh against Kakashi’s in what she hoped was a comforting manner, she turned back to her left, facing the other two again. “Say, Hanako-san...” Asuma’s deep voice sounded oddly...contemplating. “Hm?” “There’s something I want to ask.” Kurenai unsubtly elbowed her companion in the side. He ignored her, fixing his eyes on Hanako.

“See, I heard this rumour from Anko and I mean, it was from Anko so it’s probably nonsense, but I’m still curious.” She nodded, confused by what he could be talking about. Kurenai elbowed him again, but he ignored it, a growing smile on his lips.

“Is it true that yesterday you chewed Iruka out in the mission room for talking smack about Kakashi-sensei?” Hanako nearly spit out the mouthful of drink she’d been having. Coughing lightly, she looked at the man in question. He gave a light shrug and answered in her stead. “It’s the truth. She dragged him over his table and everything. Poor Iruka looked like he was going to cry.” His voice plainly said that he didn’t feel all that bad for ‘poor’ Iruka.

Hanako groaned, hiding her face in her hands. She really hadn’t expected these two to know which was stupid of course – shinobi were born gossips, the lot of them. Facing up to the inevitable mocking, she shifted closer to Kakashi, hoping for a little support.

“It’s not as bad as he makes it sound. I just found out that Iruka had been saying things to our students. That’s where I draw the line.” Kurenai nodded, while Asuma just grinned. “So is that how you were able to drag him over here tonight?” He waved his glass at Kakashi who was glowering a little. “Nope. Nothing to do with it. I dragged him here because we’re friends and it would be silly for him to sit alone if I’m here.”

Smiling at Kakashi, she felt his leg press against hers – it was deliberate, and she was oddly glad that the man was...okay with what was going on. She’d half expected him to bolt as soon as Asuma had opened his big mouth. “Friends huh? Good on you Kakashi, you could use a few of those.” A little surprised at how...kind the sometimes rather rude Asuma was being, Hanako sighed in relief. This could have gone a lot worse.

“Ah, more drinks, everyone? My treat this time!” When Asuma and Kurenai nodded, she lightly nudged Kakashi who obediently slid out of his seat to let her up. She only noticed that he had followed her when she leaned against the bar and felt his warm presence next to her – a respectable distance away. Ordering another round for everyone, she looked at Kakashi while she waited.

“Are you okay, Kakashi-san? Are we making you uncomfortable?” He snorted. “Asuma is just being himself. They don’t bother me. I was surprised though.” “By?” Scratching the back of his head with one hand, he shrugged. “Mah, I didn’t expect you to be here, and once I realised, I didn’t expect you to...call me over.” Hanako sighed and shifted a little closer.

“We’re friends Kakashi-san. That means if we run into each other, you’re not just allowed to come over, it’s practically expected.” “Oh?” She nodded. “So I can follow you around even in public?” Though his tone was light, she frowned a little. “I’m not sure I’d call it following me around, but yes?” Frowning, she considered the fact that she had never, in the entire time she’d known him, met him anywhere other than her classroom, the academy or the mission room, save the dinner they’d had at Ichiraku’s together.

Sure, Konoha was big, but was it THAT big? “You look like you want to ask me something.” She shrugged lightly. “Have you...been avoiding me?” He nodded readily. “I didn’t mean to burden you by being around you too much. I was trying to...stay away from you as much as I could bear. Sitting in that tree, I thought was less...annoying.” Her heart clenched painfully again, a sensation she was becoming far too used to.

“Oh, Kakashi-san...” She breathed more than she spoke. Said man chuckled lightly. “I don’t know how to be your friend, Hanako-san. Maybe it would be better if we...didn’t do this?” Grabbing the drinks the bartender had placed before her, she quickly brought them over to their table and apologised to Asuma and Kurenai.

Turning back to the bar, she found Kakashi gone. Not willing to let him go like that, she left the bar and looked around for the man. He wasn’t all that hard to find actually – he was lying on the roof of the building the bar was in.

Leaping up to where he was, she carefully held down her skirt – a dress was not the ideal thing to wear when climbing on roofs. Kakashi barely acknowledged her presence. “Kakashi-san… you’re prone to running away, aren’t you?” “I call it tactical retreats.” She snorted. “Well it’s hardly the way to solve problems, is it?” He shrugged. “What do you think solves them? Talking?”

Hanako sighed and stood next to where he was laying. “Well, it’s better than running, excuse me, tactically retreating.” Her voice had an unpleasant tone, but she didn’t have it in her to hide it. To her surprise, Kakashi rolled to his side, leaning up onto his elbow. His other hand wrapped around her calf and he pressed his masked face against her leg with a shuddering breath.

She held still, curious to see what he would do next. He did absolutely nothing, simply held still with his face nestled against her leg. “What do you want me to say, Hanako-san? I don’t have the right answer, so tell me what you want me to say, tell me how you want me to act so I can do it.” His voice sounded almost dejected.

“Kakashi-san...come on, get up please.” He stood up gracefully, facing her. Hanako wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold in the night air. “Let’s start with something simple. Why did you leave?” He chuckled. “Because I needed air.” “Is that the only reason?” “Well, I also felt like a complete idiot because I’d gotten it wrong again.”

“Okay, that’s something. What...exactly do you think you got wrong?” She saw him shrug in the moonlight. “This, this friendship of ours.” His tone was mocking and it stung. “If you don’t want to be my friend, then just say so. Don’t...be like this.” He laughed lowly. “Mah, I wish I could tell you that I don’t want this, but I do.”

His hands moved forward, one settling on her chin, the other wrapping itself into her hair. He stood closer, tilting her head up. She let him, curious about what he was going to say. “I want you, Hanako Seonji, more than I’ve wanted anything in my life. I really wish I could tell you that what we’ve been doing, that I don’t want it anymore, but I DO.” He shuddered a little.

“I was perfectly content watching from afar. I could have spent the rest of my LIFE on the branch of that tree, and I would have been happy. But then, then you got it in your head that we should be friends and suddenly everything was so much more painful. Suddenly, you were looking at me, directly at me.” Hanako gently wrapped her hand around the one he still had holding her chin up and pulled it away. He let her move it without any resistance.

“You let me TOUCH you. You have absolutely no idea how I felt, how grateful I was.” Hanako felt herself blushing, glad the darkness hid it. “But you don’t stop there. No, next you go and let me be by your side when others are around. You don’t...want to hide me.” Hanako squeezed his hand.

“Did you really think I would treat you like some dirty secret?” He chuckled. “I didn’t expect this, that’s for sure. But either way, this is...dangerous.” The hand in her hair tightened a little. “How so, Kakashi-san?” A soft moan escaped him and suddenly she felt his masked face buried against her throat, hand clenched into her hair almost painfully.

Eerily reminded of the meeting room, she simply stood still, waiting for him to continue. “It’s dangerous because every single time you do something so horribly kind, every time it makes me want to fall to my knees and promise you anything, anything at all so long as you’ll let me continue having that.” His breath shuddered against her neck and she felt goosebumps spreading over her skin.

“What do you mean?” Her voice barely more than a whisper, she could feel her heart almost beating out of her chest. “I mean that I would do anything for you, anything you asked of me. But...you don’t ask. If you wanted me too, I’d spend the rest of my life worshipping at your feet, without wanting anything in return, but you DON’T want that. You want me to be your friend and I agreed to it, but the simple truth is, I don’t know how to be that. A servant, a tool, a weapon, I can understand. I’d be your dog if you wanted me to, and at the same time, I HATE myself for feeling this way.”

Hanako gasped and twisted her hands into the back of his shirt, holding on to him as much as he was holding on to her. “W-Why?” “Before I met you, I...knew who I was. I was proud, a little selfish, I wasn’t all that interested in other people and I lived for my duties as a shinobi. Now...now I don’t even know who I am anymore.” Hanako felt hot tears spilling down her cheeks and held the man in her arms even more tightly. 

“Oh, Kakashi-san…I had no idea that this was how you felt. I’m sorry for not noticing.” Her voice was shaky, broken up by sobs, but he said nothing. “D-Do you want to go back to the way you were before?” Kakashi chuckled against her throat and turned his head a little – his forehead was pressed against her shoulder, hair tickling her ear.

“Not for anything in the world.” “But if you don’t like this-” The hand in her hair loosened and slid down to land on her other shoulder. “Oh but you’re wrong. I don’t dislike this. I crave it actually. Every single time I see you, talk to you or touch you...it feels like you’re giving me a gift and every single time I feel so happy I could cry. I never felt much of anything before you and I’m TERRIFIED of losing this. I...don’t think I could survive you walking away.”

Hanako sobbed, moving one of her hands up to his head, burying her fingers into the soft silver strands of his hair, pressing him closer. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I w-won’t. I swear. I’m not going to leave you, Kakashi-san, no matter what.”

“Then why does it feel like you will every time I mess up? Every time I get something wrong?” With one hand still wrapped in his hair, she used the other to rub calming circles on his back. “This is new to both of us. We’ll figure it out. Just...don’t worry so much, okay?” He nodded against her shoulder.

Pulling back lightly, she was almost surprised when he didn’t let her move even an inch. Giving up the attempt, she simply held him. “About before...why were you avoiding me? Outside of the academy, I mean.” He laughed softly, sending a warm puff of air against her cold arm. “Mah, I assumed...assumed I’d only be allowed to be near you at school. So, I’d always be sure to avoid you in public.” 

Hanako nodded. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll never hide our friendship, not from anyone. If someone has a problem with it, that’s for them to deal with, not us.” Nodding again, Kakashi gently loosened his hold on her and began to pull back. She held him in place.

“The way you feel, Kakashi-san...I really don’t understand it, but I’m grateful anyway. It...means a lot that you care so much about someone like me. I’m flattered, and I want you to know how happy I am that you feel that way about me.” Kakashi chuckled and, in a small voice, asked: “Does that mean it’s okay that I love you?” 

Hanako laughed gently. “Of course. You can...say it, you know. If you want to talk about it. You don’t have to keep it quiet.” He pulled away again and this time she let him, releasing his hair. “It makes you uncomfortable to be reminded of my feelings.”

It wasn’t a question. “Hm...it’s not that. I’m not used to hearing it and I still think it’s weird that you’d feel that way about me, but I kind of, sort of, love hearing you say it.” Averting her eyes, she fought a blush even though he couldn’t see it. “I know that makes me a horrible person, but it’s the truth.”

Kakashi gently ran his hand down her cheek. “It doesn’t make you horrible. I think it’s a normal reaction. Anyone would like having the great Kakashi Hatake at their mercy.” Hanako scoffed. “Very funny. I hope you believe me when I tell you that I would feel the same, whether you were a Hokage or a genin.” He nodded.

“Oh yes. It’s part of what I love about you. You really aren’t all that scared of my...reputation.” She shrugged. “I’d probably be scared shitless of you if I didn’t know you, but, Kakashi-san…it’s pretty hard to be afraid of someone who leaves chocolates on your desk all the time, and flowers and even jewellery.” A certain lightness had returned to the conversation and Hanako was incredibly relieved because of it.

“Oh so is that the way to your heart? You want me to buy you things? Mah, what would you like? A house? Maybe a whole country? I don’t think I could afford a big one, but a small land I could probably pull off.” Hanako laughed at that and lightly whacked him in the arm. “Don’t be stupid. I don’t want you to buy me things. I mean, I love the gifts but if you just plucked me a flower every morning, I’d be just as happy, you know?” 

He nodded. “I do. Still though...the offer stands.” She snorted. “We’ve been gone a while...are you feeling up to going back to the bar?” He shook his head. “Actually, we haven’t been gone at all.” “Huh?” Hanako’s voice was a little incredulous and Kakashi snickered. “Shadow clones and henge. We’ve been sitting with Kurenai and Asuma the entire time.”

Hanako groaned. “What if they notice?” “They haven’t so far. Besides, they’re too drunk anyway.” Running her hands over her face, Hanako briefly considered going straight home but decided against it. Using her palms, she wiped the remnants of her tears from her cheeks.

“You look fine.” A voice offered from behind her. Kakashi was smiling awkwardly, hitai-ate in one hand, sharingan exposed. “You can see in the dark with that?” He nodded. Turning to face him fully, she asked: “I look okay to go in?” He nodded. “Come this way though.” He pulled her to the back of the building and hopped down to the balcony below. A little hesitantly, she followed him. Skirt held down carefully, she landed next to him. 

He pulled open a window and a moment later, two people entered the room the window belonged to – their clones. Hanako was surprised at seeing herself standing next to Kakashi. She looked...a little different than she’d thought she did. Shaking the thought off, the two clones disappeared a moment later and Kakashi slid in through the window. “Upstairs bathroom. As far as they know, we just went to the loo.”

She snorted. “So we went to the bathroom together? Yeah, nothing weird about that.” Kakashi chuckled, giving her a hand through the window. “No, you’ve been gone a few minutes longer than me. You go back first and I’ll follow in a few?” She nodded and, before stepping out of the bathroom, gave Kakashi a quick hug. “I’m sorry for not noticing how you were struggling. I’ll...try to pay more attention from now on.”

He nodded but didn’t return the embrace. Letting go, she made her way out the room and down the stairs to were Asuma and Kurenai were waiting. The two of them were clearly quite drunk. Going by the number of empty glasses in front of hers and Kakashi’s seats, she suspected she should be as well. So, putting on a pleasantly buzzed face, she slid into her seat.


	9. Chapter 9

“What’d I miss?” Kurenai giggled and told her how she and Asuma had tried to count the empty glasses on the table but kept messing up because the other would move them around. Noticing her current glass was nearly full, Hanako took a deep breath and knocked back the entire thing.

Asuma applauded while Kurenai giggled. Hanako winced at the burn of the alcohol, followed by relief when the warmth settled in her stomach and started spreading through her limbs. Not much later, Kakashi returned to his seat. She nodded at him, glad when Asuma offered to buy the next round.

Downing the next drink almost as quick, Hanako made quick work of her drinks, much to the delight of two of her three jounin companions. Kakashi said nothing – well, not nothing but very little. For the most part he just hovered at the edge of the conversation, content to throw in comments every once in a while.

Well past midnight, the group decided to go their separate ways. Asuma and Kurenai split from them at the door, each heading off in their own direction. Hanako and Kakashi walked together for a while, before she shot him a questioning glance. “Ne, Kakashi-san, why are you coming with me?” He chuckled. “Because you’re drunk. I’m not about to let you go home alone.” She giggled. “But you let Kurenai go alone.”

Kakashi frowned. “Kurenai is a jounin. She also lives much closer than you do.” Hanako fake-gasped. “You know where I live?” The man next to her sighed, which she found rather hilarious. “Yes, Hanako-san, I do. I also know where Iruka lives, and most other shinobi of chuunin level or above.” “Ohhhh...” Wobbling a little, she leaned hard against her companion.

Kakashi wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her steady. “You’re warm, Kakashi-san...” He nodded, pulling her alone a little. It wasn’t much longer until Hanako felt Kakashi’s arm release her. Stumbling lightly, she turned to look at the man, but before she could, his arms had wrapped around her shoulders and under knees respectively and she felt herself be lifted up when he leapt off the ground and to a roof.

With a squeal she’d have found embarrassing if she’d been sober, she held onto Kakashi’s shoulders, pleased by how well her head fit against his chest and shoulders. When she said something to that effect, he nearly slipped off the roof he’d just landed on, causing her to giggle again.

They arrived at her door in no time and she opened the door for them. She pulled Kakashi in by the sleeve and he closed the door behind himself. Following her through her home, she noticed him straighten out the things she dropped as she walked through the flat – first her shoes, then her necklace after she pulled it off and dropped it next to her night-stand rather than on top of it.

Falling straight into bed still wearing her dress, she rolled around to the jounin standing awkwardly in the middle of her bedroom. He looked so...forlorn. Lost almost, she thought. Reaching out with both hands for him, she was a little confused when he didn’t move.

“C’mere. Don’t you want to?” Kakashi obeyed, dropping to his knees next to her bed, looking at her curiously. “Don’t you want to change into pyjamas?” Amazed by the suggestion, Hanako nodded. “They’re in that drawer there.” She pointed at her dresser, not entirely sure herself which drawer she actually meant.

Kakashi returned a little bit later, having found the right item – a dark blue jump-suit with thin straps and knee-long pant-legs. She nodded excitedly and sat up in bed, reaching for the garment. Kakashi snatched it away before she could grab it though. “Come on, get up. I’ll help you.” She nodded and climbed out of bed, swaying on her feet.

She was glad when she had something to hold on to – his shoulder, to be precise, because he knelt down before her and helped her step into the jumpsuit. Lightly pulling it up her legs, he straightened up and waited for...something. She didn’t know what, so she focused on something else instead. “Zipper?” she asked him hopefully. He nodded and helped her unzip her dress. Dutifully turning his back, she wriggled out of her dress and pulled the jumpsuit on properly. Throwing her dress on his head, she laughed as she fell back into bed. Kakashi just sighed and put the dress on a hanger before returning to her side.

His eyes fixed on her thigh, then, much to her surprise. “What is it?” He pointed at her leg. “That.” Leaning up, she tried to figure out what he was talking about...and then it clicked. Opening the leather-strap that held it in place, she removed the blade she’d gotten from him. “Do you...like it?” She giggled, pressing the weapon against herself. “Of course I do, silly. YOU gave it to me!” 

Laughing at his expression, she put the tanto on her bedside table – this time, she actually managed it. Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. Standing up and turning away, Hanako reached for his hand. She wanted him to stay. “Mah, Hanako-san, isn’t that a bit much?” She blinked when she realised that she’d said it out loud. 

A slow smile spreading on her face, she whispered something she would have never said sober. “If you love me, stay.” 

 

Come morning, Hanako awoke with a slight headache, wrapped in something warm – something breathing. Blinking her eyes open, she found things to be quite blurry. To her relief, they focused quickly enough...even though what she saw wasn’t making much sense.

Long arms were wrapped around her middle, and nestled against her shoulder was a head – one with silver hair rather than the brown she’d expected. Freezing in surprise, she tried to remember how exactly Kakashi Hatake had come to be in her bed.

She came up blank. After a few moments of practically holding her breath, his eyes – both, he wasn’t wearing his hitai-ate – fluttered open and met hers. He seemed remarkably more...coherent than she was. “Good morning, Hanako-san. How are you feeling?” She nodded, as if that was somehow an answer. “Uhm...” He withdrew his arms. “You can’t remember, can you?”

She frowned. “I remember leaving the bar. I remember you carrying me home...I remember you helping me change...and then…” Memory suddenly returning to her, she groaned and buried her face in her pillow. “Kakashi-san...I’m SO sorry! Oh god, that was so horrible of me.” He snorted.

“Mah, I wouldn’t say spending a night in your bed is ‘horrible’ as such.” She shook her head, sitting up. “I blackmailed you into staying. That’s wrong.” He shook his head. “Hanako-san, please. I desperately wanted to stay anyway. I’d assumed that was...obvious. I was rather worried you’d erm, resent me for staying.”

She shook her head. “Of course not. Why would I?” Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. “Mah, maybe because you woke up in bed with a man who isn’t your boyfriend but you know wants you more than his next breath?” Hanako’s mouth fell open at his casual tone.

She could feel herself blushing scarlet – it was a little unusual as she didn’t blush easily. “I-You-I mean...” He chuckled lightly and picked up a strand of her hair and pressed a kiss to it. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to me.” He withdrew a little. “Why is that?” She shrugged. “I trust you. Besides, we’re here, fully dressed, you’ve even got your mask on. Clearly, I’m perfectly safe here.” He shrugged.

“You never know. I might end up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Hanako snorted at the mental image. His tone had been teasing...she decided to tease him back. Shifting forwards, she licked her lower lip and bit it, pleased by how his eyes focused on it almost immediately. Gently placing a hand on his hip, she pulled herself even closer to him, even going so far as to hook a leg behind his own. Thus nearly flush against him, she chuckled softly, and ran her hand down his cheek, over the fabric of his mask, lightly touching his lips.

He was trembling just a little, under her touch and Hanako felt herself getting bolder. Shifting forwards, she rubbed her hips against him lightly. Leaning forward, she brought her mouth as close to his ear as she dared. “Ne, Kakashi...” Leaving off the honorific on purpose, she lightly blew air across the exposed skin of his ear. “I think, if anything, you’re more of a sheep in wolf’s clothing.”

Kakashi still hadn’t moved, nor responded at all to what she was doing. Pulling back, she unhooked her leg and rolled away a little. Both of Kakashi’s eyes were pressed shut and his expression was...almost angry.

“Do you...find it fun, teasing me like this?” She flinched at his dark tone. “I’m sorry I-” His hand covered her mouth rather suddenly. “Hanako-san, I said I’d do anything for you, and if letting you do this to me is what you want I’ll bear it, but...I don’t want to be treated like I’m your toy.” He spat the word with so much venom, she had to blink away tears from her eyes.

Nodding slowly, she took a deep breath when he withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry, Kakashi-san. I was being selfish. I...won’t do it again. Will you...forgive me, please?” Sitting up, she bit her lip. “If you want, I’ll make you breakfast?” She rather hoped he’d accept her peace offering. Smiling lightly under his mask, he sat up too, running a hand through his now loose hair. She noticed he’d taken off his flak jacket and shoes but nothing else.

“There might be a small problem with that.” She blinked. “Huh?” “Well, I’m actually...making you breakfast already. Well, my clone is.” Hanako gaped a little, suddenly becoming aware of quiet noises coming from her kitchen.

Darting outside, she found that indeed, there was a clone of his, dressed completely in jacket and hitai-ate...making breakfast. He was in the middle of frying up some tempura, she saw. A few moments later, the clone disappeared and the real Kakashi – the disheveled one from her bed took over seamlessly.

“Uhm...when did you start this?” He shrugged. “An hour or so ago. I thought you might be hungry after last night.” As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly. Laughing softly, she watched him bustle about her kitchen. “Thank you, Kakashi-san.” He nodded. “You know you don’t have to do all of this for me, right? Especially when I just treated you...like I did.” He shook his head. “I enjoy doing this for you. Sit down, it’s actually almost ready.”

She nodded and sat, watching him patter about her kitchen. He looked good there, she thought, before shaking her head. That wasn’t exactly a good thought to have – especially not after she’d just done what she did. Quietly mortified at her own behaviour, her eyes widened when Kakashi placed her plate before her. It held all her favourites – tempura, rice, steamed carrots, and a few shiitake mushrooms. 

Picking up her chopsticks, she waited for Kakashi to get himself a plate. Noticing her waiting, he quickly filled a plate and set it down before himself, waiting for her to eat anyway. Shaking her head, she started eating. The tempura were heavenly and she made sure to tell him so – twice.

Finishing her food quickly, she looked around for a blindfold. Not finding one, she shook her head and stood up. “You go on and eat, I’ll do the dishes in the meantime.” He nodded and hooked a finger under his mask, waiting for her to leave. She did. Starting with the dishes and pans that were already sitting in the sink, she hummed lightly.

Listening to the noises of Kakashi eating his food, she missed another sound – that of her door opening. There was only one person that would simply enter without knocking first of course – Iruka. He knocked only when he knew she was...mad, or when he knew she might be changing. Turning towards the man that had just entered her flat, a bag of groceries in his hand, she felt guilty for a moment.

Then, she remembered, awkwardly, that she didn’t have anything to feel guilty for – she wasn’t cheating on the man for god’s sake, she would never do such a thing. Smiling warmly at her lover as he stepped into the room, he gave her a quick kiss – Hanako was proud of herself for not squirming away.

“You’ve already eaten?” “Ah, yeah sorry. I didn’t know you were coming over...” He shrugged and opened the fridge, putting away the food. “Don’t mind. We can have lunch together later.” Looking past him to her dining table, she saw that Kakashi was grimacing through his mask. She saw him point at the window and it took her a moment to understand that he was offering to disappear so that Iruka wouldn’t spot him.

Seriously considering it for a moment, she slowly shook her head. No. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, and neither was Kakashi. Iruka had finished putting food away and was now pulling her into a hug. Returning it a little awkwardly, she was trying to come up with a way of...mentioning that they weren’t alone.

Coming up pathetically short, Iruka noticed she was behaving oddly and pulled back. “What’s wrong? You’re acting weird. Are you sick?” Shaking her head, she simply pointed past Iruka’s shoulder. Turning, his eyes followed where she pointed and then...he froze, arms still loosely wrapped around her.

“Kakashi-sensei. What a surprise.” Hanako winced. “I hadn’t expected to find you in my girlfriend’s apartment today.” he continued. Waiting for the ground to swallow her whole, Hanako pulled three glasses out of a cupboard and filled them with water. “Don’t be mean, Iruka.” He snorted as she handed him one of the glasses, carrying the other two to the dining table. Iruka stayed in her kitchen, looking at Kakashi disapprovingly. “How come, Hanako, he’s here, having breakfast at your table?” Hanako frowned. Okay, so they had been together a while and he didn’t like the other man very much, but she still didn’t appreciate having to explain herself.

“Well, I thought it would be mean to make him eat from a bowl on the floor like a dog.” Kakashi snorted. “Appreciate the thought.” “Okay, fine. But why is he here?” She shrugged. “He was nice enough to take me home after last night’s drinks. I was pretty out of it. That’s all.” Iruka’s face was flushed with pure anger.

“So you’re saying he SLEPT HERE?” She nodded. “And you expect me to be OKAY with that?” Again, she nodded. “Iruka...do you seriously think I would cheat on you? And that if I did, he’d still be here the next morning, at my dining table WHILE YOU’RE HERE?” 

She realised it wasn’t the most tactful thing to say, but she was still a little surprised when he slammed his hand down on the counter next to him. “Hanako...” “Look, I don’t know what you think is going on, but this is no different than the type I slept over at Kurenai’s.”

Iruka growled. “No different? Last I checked, Kurenai DOESN’T HAVE A PENIS!” Hanako averted her gaze from her irate lover’s face. Eyes briefly meeting with Kakashi’s, her lips twitched, Almost at the same time, they both said: “Last you checked?” Iruka gaped at them both before shaking his head.

“I...look, Hanako, I’m not saying you’re cheating on me. I’m really not. But you can’t expect me to believe that HE – one of Konoha’s biggest perverts has no ulterior motives when he sleeps on your couch.” Deciding that telling him they’d shared a bed really was too much, she just sighed.

“Iruka. I love you. I’m not cheating on you. Kakashi-san is my friend. He stayed here because he was a little drunk too and it was way past midnight already.” She tried to reason with him. “Oh he was drunk too, was he? Then...how can you even be sure he didn’t do anything to yo-” Hanako had shot out of her chair and across the room before her mind had caught up with the movement.

She’d slapped Iruka straight across the face, interrupting him mid-word. Kakashi had shot after her, trying to stop her, but by the time his hand had wrapped around her midsection, she’d already struck Iruka. Silence fell in the room as Kakashi withdrew, the two of them still stuck in the same position.

“I get you’re not happy with this, Iruka. However, and I’ve said this before, I am not going to have you talking nonsense about MY FRIEND like that.” Iruka rubbed his cheek. She hadn’t struck him hard, not really at least. His cheek was barely red.

Glowering at her, he straightened up. “I can’t believe you’re doing this, Hanako. And for...him?” She crossed her arms before her chest. “If we’re talking about ‘unbelievable’ wouldn’t that be you making a giant scene about me having a friend you don’t approve of?” Iruka’s hands balled into fists and he started shaking lightly.

“Hanako, tell me something.” She nodded cautiously. “If I were to ask you to choose between him and me, what would you do?” Hanako took a step back in shock – why would he possibly ask that? And how was she supposed to answer that? She loved Iruka, but she did care for Kakashi as well, and given how the man felt about her, she couldn’t just abandon him even if she wanted – not that she wanted that.

A calm voice from the side ripped her from her musings. “She’d choose you, Iruka. If only because if it came to a choice between her happiness and this friendship, I’d end the friendship myself.” Iruka clearly hadn’t expected that, and neither had she.

It made the decision easier, of course. Before she could reply though, Iruka had stepped forwards and grabbed Kakashi by his shirt. Allowing himself to be dragged forward, Kakashi made no move to stop Iruka. That was good...sort of, at the very least.

Touching his arm, she was shaken off. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Kakashi.” He practically growled. Any other time, she’d have found that tone sexy, but now she was just hoping he wouldn’t do anything rash. “You’re just waiting for an opportunity to take her away from me, ey?”

To her horror, Kakashi chuckled. “Mah, if I wanted to try that, Iruka-sensei, I’d have done it a long time ago. I’m not a threat to your relationship.” Hanako’s heart clenched painfully again. She knew Kakashi meant every word too – she had, after all, rubbed herself against him less than an hour ago. And here he was, putting her needs above his own. It hurt to see, as much as she appreciated it.

“You expect me to believe that? I see the way you look at her.” Kakashi didn’t deny it. “Mah, I don’t know what to tell you, Iruka-sensei. I have no intention of taking Hanako-san from you.” Iruka wasn’t pacified at all. Gripping the other man tighter, he growled again. “You do have feelings for her though, no point in denying it.” Kakashi chuckled and shrugged in Iruka’s hold.

“I don’t remember denying any such thing.” Hanako closed her eyes as Iruka raised one of his arms and drew back in order to punch Kakashi. She didn’t want to see it, but instead of hearing the expected grunt and crunch, she heard a soft slap. Opening first one eye then the other, she saw what had happened – Kakashi had stopped Iruka’s punch...with two fingers, inches from his cheek.

Still wearing a rather bored expression, he spoke to Iruka. “You may be angry, Iruka-sensei, but you’d do well to remember that I am your superior and I outrank you in EVERY way.” Iruka’s expression was one she’d never seen on the chuunin’s face before...it was a disgusted sneer.

“Not in every way, actually. Unlike you, I get to fuck her whenever I want to.” A heartbeat later, Iruka was gone – and so was a large part of her wall. Kakashi had his hand outstretched, body bent forwards from where he’d punched the other man – through her wall. 

Hanako looked between the two a little helplessly. Kakashi stood up straight, inspecting his hand, then looking at her. “I’m sorry, Hanako-san, I didn’t mean to-” She shook her head. “No, after he said that, I would’ve punched him too. But...did you have to knock out my wall?” Hanako stepped up to the hole that had been the wall connecting her living room with the street out front. There, in a pile of rubble, was Iruka, apparently unconscious. 

She walked up to him, ignoring the fact that she was hardly dressed and went to check on the man. Iruka was just waking up, holding his head. He’d have one hell of a shiner in a few hours, she realised even as she helped him sit up in the middle of the rubble. “Hanako...thanks for the help. I can’t believe the bastard put me through a wall.” She snorted. “Really? That’s funny because I have no trouble believing it at all. You said nasty things, Iruka.” He sighed, reaching for Hanako and pulling her into a hug. “I know, Hanako, but...please understand. There’s no way I could compete with a jounin like him. And then he suddenly starts sniffing around you...I just don’t want to lose you.”

Hanako sighed. “There IS no competition. I wish you’d just believe me. Or at the very least, I wish you DIDN’T attack my friends.” “Wait...you’re still calling him your friend? Look at what he did to me!” Hanako chuckled lightly. “No offence but after what you said, I would have punted you through a wall too. You owe me an apology, Iruka.” 

He sighed. “I know...I’m sorry for how I treated you. And for what I said. I just...you know my temper.” She chuckled. “That I do. So...come on, get up, you still have to apologise to Kakashi.” Helping Iruka up, they both stepped back through the hole into her flat. Kakashi was casually leaning against a wall, fully dressed and hitai-ate in place.

Hanako gave Iruka a slight push. “Go on. Apologise.” Her lover stood still. “No. Not to him. Didn’t you hear what he said?” She sighed. “Oh, I heard what both of you said.” “Then shouldn’t HE apologise to me?” Hanako exchanged a glance with Kakashi. She could tell neither man was willing to apologise to the other...but then, only one of them had behaved like a complete ogre.

“Iruka, you grabbed him, you screamed at him. You tried to attack him and you said vile things about me to top it all off. All he did was punch you. Once.” Iruka scoffed at her. “You’re going to side with him?” “Iruka, if there are any sides here, you’re misunderstanding them.” He frowned and Hanako stepped past him and over to Kakashi. He watched her move, an almost imperceptible warmth in his gaze.

She wondered if it was new or if it had always been there – she suspected the latter, but she couldn’t be sure. Turning back to Iruka, she looked at him, beat up as he was. She’d always loved how kind and loving Iruka was. How he stood up for the underdog, and how he’d been nice to everyone – well, everyone except Kakashi. 

She’d thought the man was cute with his ready smile and easy blush. He was a wonderful boyfriend. For what it was worth, she could have seen herself marry him someday, maybe. It was a bold thing to say after less than a year of dating, but it was true.

The man standing before her now wasn’t...like that. He was angry, and instead of looking at her, he was staring at Kakashi. He’d been anything but kind, and he’d even become violent, something she rather abhorred for all they were shinobi – there were a time and place for violence and Saturday morning in her flat was neither.

Iruka was still good-looking, of course, and she knew if she called his name, he’d look at her again, the warmth would return to his face and he’d smile. He’d probably apologise, if she pushed it a little further. Iruka was a good person, however strong his dislike for Kakashi was.

Kakashi...a man whose face she’d never even seen yet who loved her so much he’d said he’d do anything for her, and she’d believed every word he’d said. He was willing to torture himself for her happiness, watch her be with another man. Even when given a chance to have her – and what else could she call rubbing herself against him after sleeping in the same bed? – he had done absolutely nothing.

Hanako knew that Iruka loved her, but she knew he didn’t love her like Kakashi did – nobody ever would, she knew that. And, for some reason, that mattered to her. She didn’t feel the same way Kakashi did. She was...a little attracted to the man because it would have taken a stronger person than her not to be affected by knowledge of how the man practically worshipped her.

He’d also done something else – he’d let her see inside. He’d told her how he’d struggled with his feelings, how they didn’t fit with who he had been before. She’d have liked to meet him, before, if only to compare the two. Ultimately it didn’t matter though, because there were two very important differences between the two.

She loved only one of them – Iruka. Only one of them had said (and once again, she believed it with every fibre of her being) that he wouldn’t survive losing her – Kakashi. She wasn’t sure what sort of decision other people would make here. Would they choose their own happiness? Would they choose nothing and keep going as they had been? Would they destroy their happiness for the sake a friend who didn’t even want them to do that?

Hanako sighed. It didn’t matter – the one making the decision was her, and she had nobody to make it for her. Or so she thought – a moment later, a hand lightly landed on her shoulder and turned her to face Kakashi. The man was smiling in what she recognised as a fake smile. “Don’t.” He simply said softly. “I’m not worth your happiness.” Hanako’s eyes widened. She knew he’d spoken too softly for Iruka to have heard him.


	10. Chapter 10

Facing Iruka again, she confirmed what she’d thought – her decision had been made for her, by Kakashi. Hanako stepped over to Iruka and wrapped him in a gentle hug, mindful of his injuries. He hugged her back, happy if confused. “I’m sorry, Iruka. I can’t do this to you. It’s not fair. I...we...should stop seeing each other.” The man in her arms froze then pushed her back.

“What? Why? Is it because I didn’t apologise?” His voice sounded so hurt she almost changed her mind. “No, that’s not it. There...are many reasons, but most of all, it’s that YOU asked me what I’d do if you made me choose. Kakashi wouldn’t do that. In fact, literally just now he told me that he didn’t think he was worth my happiness. I disagree, and it wouldn’t be fair to do this to both of you.”

Iruka huffed. “So...you love him, is that it?” Hanako flinched. “I wish I did, but no. I don’t love him. I’m not replacing you with him.” She could see tears in Iruka’s eyes. “And you think I don’t love you?” Hanako shook her head. “Of course I know you love me, but if we break up now, you’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. It’ll hurt a while and then it’ll get better.” Iruka shook his head. “But..I don’t understand.”

“That’s okay. Some things can’t be understood. I hope that maybe, someday, you’ll at least forgive me. That’s all I want.” She stepped back, away from Iruka who was crying openly now. So was she – for the second time in as many days, she was crying for one of the men in her life, not that he was that anymore. 

Iruka opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, shook his head and left. Hanako sobbed quietly. She felt like she could almost hear her own heartbreaking and it was horrible. Strong arms encircled her from behind and blurry hands formed a few hand seals before her. Then, a moment later, she stood in an unfamiliar flat. It was sparsely decorated, she could see that much even through her tear-drenched vision. 

Turning around, she found that she was alone. Sniffling, she looked around the flat for the man that had brought her, but he was nowhere to be found. Coming across a big box of tissues, she crawled onto Kakashi’s bed – she didn’t think he’d mind, and even if he did, she didn’t really care all that much. Slipping her bare legs under his blanket, she cried and cried. A small pile of tissues had formed next to the bed on the bedside table before she finally managed to calm down enough to think clearly again.

Kakashi still hadn’t come back. She looked around the flat. There were few if any personal effects lying around – no pictures, barely any decorations save for a single houseplant. It was looking a little...droopy. Walking into the kitchen, she filled a glass with water and poured some into the dried up earth in the pot.

Washing the glass and putting it away, she returned to her spot on the bed. She was cold and had nothing to wear, and since she didn’t want to go searching through Kakashi’s clothes, she settled for crawling under the blanket. The bed wasn’t particularly warm or particularly comfortable, but it smelled like Kakashi and, perched in the corner of it as she was, the smell made her feel safe rather than trapped as she otherwise may have felt.

Sniffling again, she reached for the tissues again. She’d need a lot of them. It was nearly until lunchtime that Kakashi came back. He walked through the entrance of the small flat, carrying several pretty large bags. He also looked...exhausted. “Welcome home.” Her voice sounded rougher than expected and it took Kakashi a moment to even spot her – she was hidden under a blanket at the far side of the bed.

He chuckled lightly. “It’s been a few years since anyone has said that to me. How are you?” She shrugged. “I broke up with my boyfriend. What do you think?” She caught Kakashi’s wince as he set down his bags one by one – there were six, including a pretty huge backpack.

“What’s in all of those?” He chuckled. “Most of your things – at least, clothes, toiletries and the like.” Hanako blinked. “And, uhm, why?” He sighed. “Because I reported the...incident to the Hokage. I only told him that some...structural damage had occurred and I’d been there to witness it. He sent someone down to look and declared that the building was compromised. So, they had the residents placed in temporary housing.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “There’s a flat there for you as well if you want it.” “If...if I want it? What choice do I have?” Kakashi frowned. “Mah, I’m the one who destroyed your wall. You’re welcome to stay here until the damage is fixed. Or I can pay for a hotel. Or I could just buy you a house. Whatever you want.” Hanako pulled his blanket down to actually look at the man properly. He was looking...off.

“What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” Hanako scoffed and reached out a hand from under her blanket. Kakashi flinched but didn’t resist when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Don’t lie to me please.”

He nodded with a frown. “I’m...sorry.” “For?” “For making you go through all of that. If I’d been more careful about keeping my feelings a secret, or if I’d not given you those gifts...even if I’d just not stayed last night, things would be different. You wouldn’t be hurting.”

Hanako pulled on his wrist, kept pulling until he had no other choice but to roll onto the bed or fall over. Rolling so he was facing her, he sighed and closed his exposed eye. “Ne, Kakashi-san...you didn’t do anything wrong. It was my decision. You tried to talk me out of it, remember?” He shuddered. “But you’re in pain...” 

Smiling softly for the first time since she’d started crying, she tugged her blanket up and laid it out over him as well, scooting closer so they’d both be covered. “Do you want to help make it better?” “I’ll do anything you want. No matter what. Please tell me what I can do!” He was practically begging, fingers curled around the hand she’d used to pull him down.

Hanako sighed and scooted closer to him, burying her face into his chest. “I want this.” “You want...what?” She sniffled lightly. “I want you to comfort me.” “How...do I do that?” She laughed softly.

“Well, first of all, change into something more comfortable than your full uniform. Pajamas maybe.” He nodded and stood up. She watched him walk to a dresser and pull open a drawer. Without much concern for her presence, he started undressing. Hanako was surprised when she saw his body. He was a lot more wiry than she’d expected, not quite as broad and muscled. In fact, she noted when he pulled off his shirt, Iruka had actually been more toned than he was.

Kakashi also had a lot more scars – several of them looked rather nasty, but they were all healed. Pulling on another shirt and fixing his mask, he returned to her, dressed in...boxers and a short-sleeved, loose-fitting shirt. Well, she’d asked him to wear pajamas.

Lifting up one corner of the blanket, he slid in with little hesitation. “So..what do I do now?” Hanako chuckled softly as she once again scooted closer and buried her face in his chest. “Now you do absolutely nothing.” “You...want me to lie here and do nothing?” She nodded.

“But...I could make you lunch maybe, or help you move your things...have you decided where you want to stay?” She nodded. “I’d like to stay here.” He nodded. “Then, I’ll probably just go stay at one of the other jounin’s homes-” Hanako’s head shot up, unfortunately colliding with Kakashi’s jaw.

Mumbling an apology, she fixed her eyes to his face. “You...want me to stay here alone?” He shrugged, rubbing his jaw. “Well, I certainly wasn’t going to expect you to live with me.” She chuckled. “No? What if that’s what I want?” “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Snuggling back against his chest, she pressed her entire body flush against his.

“Say, Kakashi-san?” “Hm?” “Is this...uncomfortable for you?” “No.” “Okay.” Silence fell between them as Hanako dozed off a little. She was woken by someone pounding on the door. It took her a moment to remember that it wasn’t actually her door. Giving her an apologetic glance, Kakashi got up and opened his door. She recognised the voice of the man he spoke to – a tokubetsu jounin she knew from Iruka’s friends. Genmo or Genma, she thought, was his name.

After a few moments, Kakashi closed the door and came back, sliding into the same position he had been in before. “Everything okay?” Kakashi nodded. “Yeah. Just late handing in a mission report is all.” “And they send someone to your house for that?”

He snickered. “They do when it’s me. I told Genma I was taking time off.” “Oh?” “Mh. I want to be able to look after you properly.” She shifted back. “What about your team?” Another snicker. “They’ll thoroughly enjoy training with Guy-sensei for the next few days.”

Hanako shivered. She knew the man question and she did NOT envy the genin their position. Kakashi felt her shiver and misinterpreted it as her being cold. He tugged the blanket closer and carefully reached around her in order to gather it closer to her body. Sighing, she turned away from him and instead pressed her back against him.

“Did I do something wrong?” She shook her head. “Just wanted to flip over is all.” He nodded against the back of her head. After a while, she reached for his arm and pulled it over her, the way it had been when he’d tucked in the blanket.

“Hanako-san...do you want to talk about it?” She stiffened a little. She did want to talk about it, yes, but… “Are you angry at me?” Kakashi sighed. “Why would I be?” “Because...I don’t know.” He chuckled. “Mah, I...don’t know how to feel.”

She shuddered lightly. A very, very unpleasant thought occurred to her. “Kakashi-san...do you still...” He didn’t respond for a moment. “Do I still what?” Hanako felt like an idiot for even asking. “About me, do you still...” Kakashi tensed, finally understanding.

“Of course. How can you doubt that? Why do you ask?” She shivered in his arms. “It’s just...you’ve been distant, I think or maybe it’s me, I just don’t...” Kakashi growled behind her and tightened his arms around her. “I hate seeing you like this and I don’t know how to fix it. Every fibre of me wants to go and beat Iruka to death for hurting you, but I know you don’t want that… I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before.”

She nodded in his painful embrace. “Do you...know why I did it?” Kakashi didn’t respond. “Well, do you?” Sighing, he shook his head. “Aren’t you...curious?” He chuckled. “I’m never going to pry into your affairs. I’m more than happy to accept this if you’re willing to give me that. I don’t want more.”

Hanako wriggled around in his tight hold. After some struggling, she managed to face him again. He hadn’t loosened his hold at all. “Kakashi-san...ne, can I just call you by your name?” His response was instant. “You can call me anything you’d like.” She snorted. “Is that so, Ka-kun?” She saw a wry smile through his mask. “...Yes.” Sighing, she shook her head.

“Mah, I’ve made you unhappy again.” “It’s not that. It’s just...I was trying to tease you with a stupid nickname but you responded so sincerely.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to lie and the truth is you can call me anything, anything at all.” “I think I’ll stick with Kakashi.” He nodded. “Anyway...Kakashi, there was something I wanted to say.” “I’m listening.”

She didn’t doubt that for a moment. “I broke up with Iruka because of you.” He winced a little. “No, hear me out. I love Iruka and as much as he was an ass, I know he loves me too. But...not like you do. Even though I broke up with him, he’ll be fine. He’ll find someone else and be happy, I’m sure of it. You...it wouldn’t be like that for you, would it?”

Kakashi sighed. “No. But then, whether you’re willing to spend time with me or not, my feelings would be the same. I’ve told you before, I didn’t want to interfere in your happiness.” Hanako rubbed a hand across her forehead in frustration – he just wasn’t GETTING it. “And do you really think I could be happy if I knew you were suffering?” “Mah, Hanako-san, why would that matter?” He sounded so...self-deprecating.

“Tell me something, Kakashi.” “Mh?” “If I asked you to go out with me, what would you say?” “No.” His reply came with no hesitation at all. “Okay. Why? I don’t think it’s because you...don’t want me?” He shook his head again. “Of course I want you, I’d die for you. But...you deserve better than me, and if I can, I’ll make sure you get what you deserve.”

“And what do I ‘deserve’?” She whispered against his neck, burying her face closer to him again. “You deserve the world. Someone...nice, someone kind. Someone strong enough to protect you but not someone that’s a danger to you. Someone that loves you, that wouldn’t hurt you. Someone you could have a family with, maybe.” She nodded along with what he said. 

“That sounds nice.” He hummed. “And I’ll make sure to find you someone like that.” Hanako ran her hand down his chest. “Is that really what you want, Kakashi? To set me up with someone else?” This time he hesitated for a moment. “I want you happy. So...yes, it is what I want.” She trailed her fingers down his side.

“This can’t be good for you.” Her own voice was soft as she traced a pattern over his shirt-clad side, still in his firm embrace. “Mah, it probably isn’t, but I don’t care. I never did, really. It doesn’t matter.” “Could you let go of me? You’re starting to hurt me.” Immediately, his arms released her and he withdrew a little.

“Thanks.” Squirming a little higher on the bed, she ended up face to face with Kakashi. His exposed eye looked tired. Reaching for his hitai-ate, she wasn’t even surprised when he made no move to stop her. Pulling it off, she asked: “You always keep it covered?” “Outside of battle, usually.” “It’s because it drains chakra, right?” He nodded. “That and...it gives me perfect recall. It records everything I see through it. I can recall every single thing I see with it in perfect detail.” She nodded.

Feeling bold, she lifted a hand to his face, placing a finger on the scar that intersected his eye. Tracing down his face, his sharingan-eye closed automatically as her finger brushed over it. Reaching the edge of the mask, she paused. “You can take it off if you want to. I’ve told you before.” His voice sounded a little amused.

Hanako smiled weakly. “Hm, do I want to peek at Konoha’s best-kept secret?” Kakashi snickered. “It’s not that special, I assure you.” Hanako ran her hand down his clothed cheek and across his jaw, chin and then his lips and up to his nose. “Why do you wear it?” He shrugged. “Many reasons. Most of them to do with my father.” “The one whose tanto you gave me?”

Kakashi tensed. “How do you know?” “Iruka recognised the weapon. You know, I forgot between all of this, but I was going to ask about it. Why did you give me it?” He shrugged. “I...wanted you to have it. It’s probably the best weapon my father ever created.” “He was a blacksmith?” Kakashi shrugged. “He was a shinobi but also a skilled weapon’s maker.” “And why give me the weapon?” 

“Mah, I wanted to...thank you for defending me to Iruka that day. Nothing else seemed good enough.” Hanako sniffled lightly. “Did you...pack it by chance?” Kakashi nodded and rolled off the bed. Walking to one of the bags, he unzipped it and took out the sheathed blade. Sitting up on the bed with her legs crossed, she accepted the weapon when he handed it to her.

“I thought it was beautiful when I saw it.” Kakashi chuckled. “I’m glad you like it.” Grinning weakly, she drew the weapon. “You know, I felled a tree when I tried swinging it.” “Oh?” “Mhm. A warning would have been nice. If I’d aimed it at the school by accident I’d be unemployed now.” Kakashi rubbed his neck with one hand. “Mah, I’m sorry. My father created it specifically for his own chakra natures.”

“Wind and lightning?” “You’re perceptive.” She snorted. “Iruka got burned when he tried to touch it.” Kakashi laughed darkly. “That’s what happens when the wrong chakra comes in contact with it.” “So...you’re a lightning user, then?” She tilted her head, certain it wasn’t wind.

“Originally, yes. Thanks to the sharingan I’ve mastered the others as well though.” “All five?” Hanako was impressed, while her companion simply nodded. “Very impressive. I’ve never really tried to use anything other than wind. Since I mostly fight with brute chakra-force in battle, there was never much need for it.” Kakashi chuckled. “A properly charged wind attack can bring buildings down.” Hanako gently drew the weapon in her hand and looked at the blade itself.

It was just as beautiful as the first time she’d seen it. “Does your father still make weapons?” Kakashi gave her an odd look. “Probably not – he’s been dead since I was six.” Hanako slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I had no idea!” He shook his head. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.”

Gently laying her hand over his, she squeezed. “Well, I’m sorry anyway.” Smiling reassuringly, her eyes stole back to the blade. “Say, Kakashi, are you...tired?” “I’m fine, why?” Sheathing the weapon, Hanako crawled out of the bed. “Want to go train?” He stared at her oddly. “I know I was a sobbing mess just a little while ago, but now I feel really motivated to...move, you know?” Giving a slow nod that showed he absolutely did not understand, he got off the bed and walked to the kitchen.

“I’ll wait out here so you can change.” Looking down herself, Hanako remembered that she was still wearing her pajamas. Blushing lightly, she dug through one of her bags until she found one of her usual outfits. Changing into it quickly, she called out to Kakashi. “Did you see my hairbrush?” After some cluttering, Kakashi came in, holding...a black comb.

“Mah, I forgot. Sorry. Will this do?” She eyed the comb warily. “It’s fine for now. Thank you.” Taking it, she started combing through her hair. It was exactly as uncomfortable as she remembered. “Do you...want me to help?” Kakashi looked a little like a kicked puppy and she nodded before she could even think about why he was making that face.

Handing the comb back to its owner, Kakashi stood behind her and started untangling her hair. It hurt a lot less when he was doing it and she relaxed her shoulders. Then, the man was lightly tilting her head back and started parting her hair at the top. He was braiding it in from the sides, making sure not to leave any loose strands. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed his gentle touch. Finishing his work, Kakashi paused. “Ah...have you got a tie?” She chuckled.

“Didn’t pack any?” “Mah...but I’ve got something here. Just a second.” Taking the finished braid from him, she watched him dash to his wardrobe, pulling open a drawer at the bottom, digging around until he found a small bag. Pulling it open, he revealed an assortment of ribbons. “Are these what you’ve been using for my gifts?” He nodded. “I bought lots after I first saw you...use one as a hair-tie.” Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a white band with...yellow polka dots.

Raising an eyebrow, she held the hideous thing up. “Mah, when I first bought them all, I didn’t know what colours you liked.” Reaching into the bag, he pulled out another one – this one sky-blue with darker stripes. Nodding happily, she turned and gave her braid back to Kakashi who made quick work of tying it closed, thus stopping it from unfurling immediately. 

Thus ready, she took the tanto from its spot on the bed and slid it into her belt loop again. “Shall I wait for you in the kitchen?” Kakashi chuckled. “No need. I don’t mind you seeing me...especially since you already have anyway.” She shrugged and sat on the bed. She was trying not to watch him, she really was, but...well, a handsome man mostly naked was hard to ignore.

She paid more attention to him this time – she’d been surprised when she’d found him to be so bony before, but now she considered the reason – he was powerful, she knew, but he clearly didn’t train in order to impress women. No, his strength was hidden in an almost too-thin body. It probably made it easy for him to pretend to be a civilian if a mission called for it.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Kakashi until he reached past her for his hitai-ate again. Smiling softly, she followed him out of his apartment. Standing on the walkway of what she discovered to be a second-story apartment, she blinked against the sun. It was only the middle of the day, she realised. 

“There’s a training ground near here.” She nodded and followed Kakashi as he led her across the rooftops of a part of Konoha she’d never been in. They landed in an equally unfamiliar training field – a meadow near a cliff-side with a small river peeking out from the nearby trees. It was...pretty.

Kakashi stood facing her, hands buried in his pockets. “What would you like to do?” Hanako smiled. “Well, I was going to test your father’s blade...?” He nodded as she drew the blade. “Last time I only used a tiny bit of chakra and the result was still pretty impressive.” He chuckled lightly and reached over to slightly adjust her hold on the weapon.

“My father didn’t exactly have huge chakra reserves either. His weapons are all made to magnify whatever you put into them.” She nodded. Summoning her chakra into her hand, she put in considerably more than she had on her first attempt. Aiming at the cliff, she swung the weapon through the air.

The chakra wave sliced away from the tanto and sailed towards the cliff. She expected it to collide with a crash, possibly even to bounce off...but it didn’t. Instead, her attack seemed to slice straight through the rock until a part of the cliff-side simply started sliding forwards and downwards.

Cursing, she leaped back, nearly colliding with Kakashi as they dodged the falling rock. At a safe distance, Hanako gingerly held the tanto. “Maybe...maybe I shouldn’t practice with this after all. Seems a bit dangerous.” Kakashi snorted. “You may be right. Hold on a second.” His arms encircled her, and for the second time that day, she felt him form hand seals behind her before finding herself in a new environment – a quarry, from the looks of it. 

“Should be safe here. That was...quite the attack. How much chakra did you put into it?” She shrugged. “Maybe a fifth of what I’d be comfortable using in a single attack.” He pointed at the far side of the quarry. “Why not try it against that wall at full strength?” She looked dubiously at the weapon. 

“Okay...but first, can you try it? I’d like to see what it does with lightning chakra.” Kakashi chuckled and reached for the blade. Holding it out in front of him, she watched as sparks first lightly danced up the blade then completely engulfed the weapon. Lengthening well past the end of the blade, Kakashi looked like he was holding an oversized Katana rather than a short tanto.

Hanako smiled at him. “That’s amazing.” Releasing the chakra, Kakashi shrugged and returned the weapon to her. “Mah, I think slicing a cliff to ribbons...by accident, is more impressive. Your turn.” Laughing softly, she grasped the blade again and summoned her chakra. Channeling as much as she felt comfortable doing into the blade, she swung it towards the far side of the quarry. Caught in her movement, she spun around and did it again, her chakra forming an uneven X in the air as it sailed towards the rock.

She still flinched when her chakra sliced through the rock and a rumbling sound filled the air. They were far enough away to be safe, but watching what looked like several tonnes of rock crumbling to the ground was still...impressive. Sheathing her weapon, Hanako went over to investigate just how much damage she’d done – she’d carved out several feet of stone. Kakashi whistled lowly when he, too, came over to investigate.

Standing next to a gigantic pile of rubble, Hanako grasped the blade by her side. “You could level Konoha with that weapon.” She shuddered. “Probably. Would you like me to give it back?” He gave her an odd look. “Why?” “Ah, I figured to a former ANBU...” He snorted. “I’d much rather you have the weapon than not. Should you ever be attacked, at least this way you’re relatively safe.”

Hanako crossed her arms and smirked at him. “You know, I may just be a chuunin but I’m MORE than strong enough to defend myself.” He nodded. “No doubt. But what would you do against an S-rank opponent?” She smiled widely. “Want to find out?” “Hm?”

“Spar with me. No rules other than no lethal attacks. I won’t use the blade. Let’s see how I stack up against an opponent more powerful than me.” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t want to hurt you.” She chuckled. “You won’t. Besides, I’m a shinobi. I can take it.” Kakashi was frowning at her, but Hanako didn’t care – her body wanted to get rid of its nervous energy.

So, she did something she normally would consider horrible – she decided to use Kakashi’s feelings to her advantage. Stepping up to him, she ran her arms up his shoulders to loop them around his neck, pressing herself against him.

Standing on her tip-toes, she brought her face close to his and watched the pupil in his visible eye expand. Gently settling his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer just a little, watching her with rapt attention. Smiling softly, Hanako tightened her hold on him and ran a hand through his hair for good measure, tugging lightly as she went.

Kakashi gasped softly and for a moment she actually felt a little guilty about manipulating him, but then the adrenaline kicked in and she licked her lips. “Kakashi...I want you to fight me. Don’t hold back. I want to be able to feel you tomorrow.” The man in her arms moaned quietly and pressed his eye shut. Pulling off his hitai-ate, she wrapped it around her own forehead, tying it under her braid.

Jumping backward, she challenged him again. “Come and get it back, Kakashi!” It was enough – with a growl, he disappeared from where he’d been standing. He was fast, but so was Hanako. Sensing he’d leaped up, she dashed forwards to where he’d stood, forcing him to try and spin in the air. With enough time for a jutsu, she quickly formed the hand seals for it.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered: “Wind Release: Violent Whirlwind!” and blew the breath she’d been holding towards Kakashi. She caught him mid-fall, unable to dodge while in the air. He defended himself with a jutsu of his own – a giant fireball.

The fireball easily penetrated her wind and she had to dodge, rolling out of the way. By the time she’d done so, Kakashi had landed as well, crouching, watching her every move. Hanako laughed breathlessly, rather enjoying the racing of her heart, the awareness of her very, very powerful opponent. Jumping backward, Hanako ran up one of the walls of the quarry, keeping an eye on Kakashi all the while. He was watching, forming hand seals. Moments before she could jump over the edge and disappear from his sight, he slammed his hands to the ground – a mud wall shot up before her. Sliding to a stop, she instinctively dropped low and thus avoided a flurry of shuriken aimed for her.

They wouldn’t have killed her, but they would have hurt – Kakashi wasn’t holding back much at all, and so Hanako decided to do the same. Spinning low, she made more hand seals. Seeing his sharingan whirling, his own jutsu was finished before hers – this time he spat multiple fireballs, well aware that they would easily overpower most of her wind attacks. Finishing her jutsu, she cast the technique. “Wind Style: Wind Wave!” Swinging her hand, she cast a single airwave from herself, aimed ever so slightly up. Pushing off the quarry wall, she landed safely on her wind blade. Kakashi’s eyes had widened slightly when he’d realised she wasn’t attacking but rather just escaping the corner he’d literally put her in.

Directing her blade with her chakra, she lazily circled above him. Kakashi couldn’t use his fireballs this way – they’d eventually come back down and he was risking injury to himself as well. Hanako was considering her options – Kakashi’s sharingan gave him the edge in most ninjutsu techniques, his height and reach would give him the advantage in taijutsu and Hanako simply wasn’t very skilled in genjutsu… Grinning, she formed the hand seals for a summoning jutsu. Slamming her hand down onto her ride, she exerted a rather large amount of chakra in order to summon hundreds of fist-sized butterflies. Casting a henge the next morning, she too turned into one of them.

She’d had years to practice how to fly as one, which she was now doing. Directing her other butterflies together, having them flying random paths around each other, she knew there was no possible way Kakashi could follow her movements, sharingan or not. She watched his eyes dart from butterfly to butterfly, a frown on his face.

Smiling internally, Hanako directed her butterflies into a loose tornado, herself at that top. Charging them with chakra, she used the wind created by their own wing movement to speed up their movement until they were spinning just as fast as an actual whirlwind might. Releasing her henge, she was still hidden from sight as she stretched out her hand and sent her summons forward to where Kakashi was standing. The butterflies connected and knocked him out of the way, but even as she fell, no longer kept up by wings, she knew something was off – on instinct, she spun and blocked the punch he delivered from behind.

It had been a shadow clone she’d attacked. Pushed back by the force of his attack, she sailed through her butterflies, who helpfully cushioned her fall and supported her on her way down. Kakashi wasn’t far behind, forcing her into a taijutsu battle. Dodging and blocking more than anything else, Hanako silently cursed – he’d easily be able to overpower her like this. 

Butterflies still fluttering above, she called them down, not to hurt but to distract. One by one, they smacked into him, either being swatted away or disrupting his attacks just a little, but it was enough – she could retaliate. After landing a few good attacks herself, Kakashi ducked back.

Hanako was breathing harder at this point – maintaining her summon was starting to get tiring. Releasing the butterflies above, she took a deep breath – she had enough chakra left for what she was planning to do. She met Kakashi’s gaze head-on, bringing her hands together for a hand-seal.

Kakashi smirked, his sharingan spinning. He was copying her hand-seals one by one as she made them and she forced a frown to appear on her face, despite having hoped he would do that exact thing. They called out the name of the technique at the same time. “Wind Style: Blades of Wind!” Throwing forwards the invisible blade of wind, Hanako smirked.

Kakashi looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened and he tried to dash out of the way when her blade sliced clear through his and came for him. He managed to dodge, but barely, his uniform ripping at the arm and his thigh. Smirk turning into a wide smile, she held up both hands and approached Kakashi.

After a moment, he abandoned his defensive stance and approached her as well. He was breathing a little harder too, and she was proud of herself. In a real fight, her technique probably wouldn’t have worked – she had relied on what Kakashi had told her long ago, that his own limited chakra reserves were a hindrance to him. She’d simply put as large an amount of chakra behind the attack as she could manage, easily overpowering his own, more economical jutsu. Sitting down on the flat ground, she laid back, arms crossed under her head, still smiling, trying to calm her breathing.

“That was amazing. Thank you, Kakashi, for humouring me.” His reply didn’t sound half as happy as she felt. “I wasn’t aware I was given much of a choice.” Turning her head to face the man that had sat down near her head, she frowned. “Of course you had a choice!” Kakashi scoffed.

“Is that so? You seemed pretty insistent. Or are you going to tell me you did that by accident?” She flinched at his tone. He sounded angry. Leaning up and turning, she faced the man. “No, I didn’t do it by accident.” He nodded. “I told you I would do anything for you and I meant it. You don’t have to taunt me by manipulating me.” He very nearly spat.

Hanako’s heart clenched the way it always did when Kakashi mentioned the way he felt about her. Leaning onto all fours, she shifted closer, aware that he kept his face expressionless as she got closer – she thought she could see a spark of hurt in his eyes, in both of them, before she closed the distance between them and lightly leaned onto his crossed legs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”

He scoffed. “I’d believe that if you weren’t doing it right now.” Untying his hitai-ate with one hand, she shifted her weight onto the other, still resting on his knee. “What do you mean?” Shuffling forward again, she placed his hitai-ate on his forehead and tied it behind his head, before lightly tugging it down to cover the sharingan eye. Shifting back, she sat down on her legs. Kakashi was now almost scowling at her.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Hanako-san, if that’s how you want to treat me I certainly won’t stop you, but it’s not...necessary since I’ll do what you want me to either way.” Frowning, she shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. “I don’t understand what you mean. I mean, yes, I manipulated you into sparring with me, but in what way am I doing the same thing again?”

Kakashi rubbed a hand over his face. “Mah, maybe you’re not. Maybe I’m just going crazy.” His voice sounded more dejected than angry now, and Hanako...she wanted to make him feel better somehow. Pulling his free hand into her own, she softly asked again. “Explain it, please?”

He groaned, looked at her and then shrugged. “Being so...gentle with me, surely you don’t expect me to believe you do that for your OWN benefit?” She blinked in surprise. “Well, no. I did it for yours. I was trying to be kind. Did you...not like it?” He huffed. “Of course I did.” “Then...what’s the problem?” His fingers curled around her hand and lifted it up.

“I wish you’d just be straight-forward with me. I don’t need this...this. I’ll do anything for you. You just have to ask.” Lightly pressing his masked lips against Hanako’s hand, he shot her a slightly hurt look. Hanako breathed out a harsh sigh and pulled her hand away. “Has it occurred to you that maybe I act the way I do because I like it?” He tilted his head, eerily reminding her of Pakkun for a moment.

“I’m not acting like I am because I want something from you. I mean, yes, I did, before, and that was wrong of me, but I don’t normally do it.” “Then why do you do it? I know you don’t like me.” Chuckling sadly, Hanako turned away from him and laid down, placing her head on his lap. She’d have an easier time saying what she was about to without having to look at him directly.

“You’re wrong, you idiot. Of course I like you. I’ve ALWAYS liked you. I don’t...love you, but I’ve always LIKED you. To be honest, I don’t quite know how to act with you. On one hand I’m constantly wondering whether I’m over-stepping boundaries and whether or not this or that is cruel to you or whether you enjoy it...on the other hand, I find myself wanting to make you happy as well. If all it takes for that is for me to touch you or smile at you, then that’s a no-brainer.”

Kakashi went very still under her as she spoke, even holding his breath. “You...you do it for MY benefit? Because you think I...like it?” She nodded, unsure of how he would react. His voice didn’t give much away and she was a little too scared to look at his face. “...Hanako-san, you don’t have to force yourself to do things like that.” She scoffed.

“I’m not forcing anything. If I hated it, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t. The problem is actually the opposite… how can I put this...” she trailed off, rubbing a hand across her forehead. “The way you feel about me...I find it flattering. It may not say great things about my character, but I LIKE it. A lot. Say, for example...remember when I sort of...well, this morning, in bed?” Kakashi sighed and gently twisted his fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp gently without disturbing her braid.

“Of course I remember.” She smiled weakly. “Well...I didn’t do that because I love you, or because I was manipulating you or even because I was forcing myself, but simply because I wanted to.” She laced her fingers together, holding them up above her head. “You’d just said something so unbelievably sweet I wanted nothing more than to hug you to death, and then you teased me and I wanted to tease you back...which is what I did. I know it was wrong of me to do so, to...treat you like that, precisely BECAUSE of how you feel about me. But despite knowing all that, I just really, really wanted to do it. I wanted to see what you’d do, how you’d react.”

He chuckled. “And did I disappoint you?” She shook her head, his fingers on her scalp easily moving with her. “No. Or rather, I was too horrified with myself to really pay attention. I’m not...a cheater. I never have been. I’m always faithful when I have a boyfriend. That’s why I’m sorry that I did it. If I’d been single then...well, I suppose the only reason I might regret it is if you disliked it.”

The fingers on her scalp stilled. “I see.” When he said nothing else, she sighed. “Ne, Kakashi, could you please say something? Anything?” His fingers resumed their motion. “Mah, I don’t know what to say. I believe you, but I don’t...understand. Why would you want someone as messed up as me?” Hanako frowned.

“Even if I didn’t like you as a person, which I do, there’d be the way you feel about me...it’s...tempting, very tempting, to take advantage.” “So, you’re saying you like me because of the way I feel about you?” “In part, I suppose. Does it matter? Why I like you, I mean.” Kakashi leaned over her and she met his gaze, upside down as it was. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. I just have a hard time believing you’d have any interest.”

“Oh, Kakashi.” Her voice sounding exasperated, she sat up, turning around and, before the man could do anything, she pulled herself into his lap entirely, wrapping her arms around his neck, legs placed over his left thigh. It was a surprisingly comfortable position, at least for her.

He froze underneath her. Not letting go, she squeezed him against her and waited for him to relax a little again. It took a while. When he did, she gently rested her chin on his shoulder. “Right now, for example, I can’t tell what you’re feeling at all. Do you like this? Am I making you feel uncomfortable?” He swallowed audibly and one of his hands settled on her thigh before hastily withdrawing. “You can touch.” She mumbled and the hand retook its position if a little shakily.

“This is...you want to know how I feel, right now?” His voice sounded rough. Nodding, she waited for him to speak. She felt more nervous than she’d expected, almost afraid that he would reject her, push her away or the like. He didn’t.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mah, right now my mind is racing. I’m trying to...figure out what it is that you’re after. I’m trying my very best not to do anything inappropriate, not to touch you in a way that you might dislike. I have to remind myself that you’re not mine to touch, that you never will be. I can’t help...” He swallowed again, groaning lightly. “I can’t help but think about it though. What it would be like. What it would feel like. What YOU would feel like. I’m trying not to think about it though, trying to distract myself with...something.”

She nodded, gently, glad that her furious blush was invisible to him. “So then...do you like this or not?” He shrugged lightly, hand tensing on her thigh. “I...don’t know. It’s torture, absolute torture but I could spend the rest of my life like this and I wouldn’t mind. It’s...confusing.” Hanako chuckled.

“Ne, I have another question.” “Hm?” Moving one hand from around his neck to his chest and turning a little sideways so she could tuck her head against his neck, she sighed. “When you say that I’ll never be yours...you seem sure of that.” His fingers tightened even more. “I am. You deserve far better than a broken ex-ANBU who’s only ‘positive’ trait seems to be his obsessive love for a woman well out of his league.”

Hanako laughed gently. “You must be joking. Kakashi, you’re a hero. You’re one of Konoha’s most powerful shinobi. There are entire villages out there that hold a grudge against you. You’re kind, considerate, thoughtful and funny. You’re not unattractive either – at least the parts that I’ve seen. You shouldn’t put yourself down so much.” Kakashi’s other hand tentatively wrapped around her back, supporting her leaning against him.

“Most of that you can get elsewhere and without the...issues. And whether I’m a hero or not...that’s hardly relevant in a relationship.” She nodded. “I suppose it isn’t. What issues do you mean?” He sighed, his hand moving in seemingly subconscious circles on her back. “Mah, I have...nightmares. I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, ready to attack. I used to...well, I used to have panic attacks. They’ve become rarer now. Most of the village dislikes me, many are afraid, and with reason. I’ve done horrifying things, revolting things that if you knew about them would make you want to stay as far away from me as possible. Gods, I’ve stalked the only woman I’ve ever loved. If you knew the things I think about sometimes when I so much as look at you, you’d want nothing to do with me either.”

Hanako nodded. “I believe you – on all of those points except two. One, I don’t think knowing the things you’ve done would drive me away. We are shinobi, Kakashi. Trained from infancy to become efficient killing tools. While I myself have never had to do any of the more...harsh things that shinobi encounter, I have no illusions about what ANBU or even just jounin do. The other thing is that I doubt knowing what you think would disturb me all that much either.” She said it with a note of finality, hoping he would accept her words.

Of course, this was Kakashi Hatake and it was hardly going to be that easy. Growling, his hold on her tightened. “I’ve killed.” “So have I.” “I’ve slit the throats of children, babies in their crib even.” Hanako shuddered. “I’m not surprised.” “I’ve killed so many I’ve lost count.” “Probably better that way.” His hand shot up to her hair, grasping her hair painfully, forcing her head back and up to look at him. He had a wild look in his eye that she’d never seen before.

Holding still, she waited for him to release her. Instead, he growled again. “Why are you so stubborn?” She chuckled lightly. “Why are you so desperate to push me away?” Releasing her head suddenly, she winced at the pain in her scalp. Leaning back against him, they sat in silence for a few moments.

Then he shifted, and suddenly his other hand was moving up her thigh. “How about this then...right now, what I want to do more than anything is throw you on your back and take you, right here, on the floor, until you scream my name.” He deliberately moved his hand further up on her thigh and she stopped him. He made no motion to continue, despite the fact that her hold on his hand was extremely gentle.

“Was that supposed to scare me? Gods, Kakashi, if I wasn’t upset about Iruka, and a little tired from sparring, and if we weren’t having a serious conversation and if I wasn’t quite so...emotional at the moment, if an attractive man wanted to do that to me, I’d let him.” A broken moan escaped Kakashi’s lips and Hanako giggled lightly.

“That’s...that’s a long list of ifs.” He forced out, shivering a little. “Is it? I suppose so. My point is simply that I’m not half as opposed to this sort of thing as you seem to think I am. I thought it was sort of sweet before, how you made it clear you had no intention of coming between me and Iruka, but now you’re trying to convince me that even without him, you still don’t want me?”

Kakashi moved his hand back to its original position on her thigh and shifted a little, spreading his legs wider apart, settling her into a more comfortable position. “I want you more than my next breath, I’ve told you so, but I don’t...I don’t deserve you. And I certainly won’t take advantage of you.” 

“How would you do that?” He shrugged. “You’re...upset about your break-up with Iruka. I don’t particularly want to be your...rebound.” She snorted. “Is that funny?” “The idea of someone, anyone really, using you for a quick rebound and then casting you aside later – which is what you were implying, I believe – is a little ridiculous, isn’t it, Kakashi-sama?” He chuckled lightly. “Not if it’s you. If you asked that of me, I’d do it. But...I don’t think I’d be...okay afterward.”

Hanako nodded, well aware of how difficult it must have been for the proud man to admit that. She knew it well enough too, and there was no way she would ever do that to him – strangely enough, as much as her break-up had...hurt, she found it easy enough to put it out of her mind. She felt a little guilty by just HOW easy it was, but there were more important things to focus on.

“So, if it wasn’t for a rebound-fling, you’d want me?” To her surprise, Kakashi pressed a gently masked kiss against her forehead. “If I thought there was even the slightest chance you’d accept me, I’d swear to spend the rest of my life by your side. Does that answer your question?” A little spell-bound, she nodded.

She’d found herself...considering it, much to her own surprise. She knew it was probably wrong to think about this so quickly after breaking up with someone else, but in the privacy of her own mind, she found herself indulging in the thoughts. They felt...nice, somehow, as much as most of the details were fuzzy.

Wriggling around a little more, she felt Kakashi stiffen underneath her. Tilting her head up to look at his face, she found him staring straight ahead, at something past her shoulder. She didn’t know what he’d seen – they were alone after all – and before she could so much as lean up, his hands held her in place with an iron grip.

“Please...” he whispered. “Please don’t move.” Obediently, she froze, waiting for an explanation, she was a little disappointed when none came. “Kakashi...what is it?” He groaned. “You...you squirm a lot.” Hanako took an embarrassingly long time to understand what he was saying. When she did, she felt herself blushing...and she felt the undeniable urge to rub herself against him like she had done that morning.

Licking her lips, she gently turned his head to face her. He let himself be guided, met her eyes. Smiling softly, she stroked her fingers down his cheek. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for squirming, but...it doesn’t bother me.”

A heartbeat later, she found herself on her back, Kakashi kneeling over her, leaning up on his arms and knees, only a few inches separating their bodies. He was breathing hard and a look of distinct pain had stolen onto his face while she hadn’t been looking. Holding perfectly still, she waited for him to calm down.

When he finally did, he sagged backward a little. Finally daring to move, she leaned up, her legs still between his. “Should we go home, Kakashi?” He nodded. Forming the hand seals for his teleportation jutsu, she found herself sitting on the floor of his bedroom a moment later, Kakashi already halfway across the room. He was going through his wardrobe, looking for a fresh uniform – she’d torn his other one after all.

Shaking her head, she went to the bathroom. She could work on convincing him that she really was attracted to him some other time. For now, there were more important things – such as figuring out how to cohabit in his small flat.

As it turned out, it was as easy as him clearing out part of his spacious closet for her things. With her things put away – he’d brought most of what she needed as well as a few sentimental things she was grateful for, such as her jewellery and some framed pictures, and they fit into his apartment surprisingly neatly, in no small part since he had so few personal items himself.

Figuring out a sleeping arrangement had been the hardest – she’d wanted to share his bed as it was large enough, he’d wanted to sleep on the floor. Refusing to let him sleep on the floor in his own apartment, they’d had something like a fight that had ended in him storming out, returning several hours later with a futon he’d bought. He spread it out next to his bed and insisted on sleeping in it.

Finally relenting, they had a good compromise. It was really the only issue – they liked similar foods, took turns cooking and their schedules and duties didn’t conflict in any significant way. It was a little more awkward to get to the academy from his flat than it was from hers, but she simply made up for that by leaving a little earlier.

Work itself had been a bit of an adjustment. Seeing Iruka had been terribly awkward at first. They’d avoided each other for the first few days before he’d had the courage to approach her and ask her to be...friends at least. She’d rejected his offer politely, and he’d understood. Things were better after that, far less awkward.

People stopped gossiping too – the break-up of the academy’s sweetest couple had sparked no small amount of gossip, at first. Everyone wanted to know why and how and what had happened, but in silent agreement, neither of them said more than that things just hadn’t worked out. A few rumours were more persistent than others, and most of them involved cheating. Some believed she had cheated, others believed he had – one particularly creative academy chuunin even managed to fit Kakashi into his fantasies, claiming the man must have had a secret affair with at least one of them - ‘at least’ being key.

Hanako hadn’t even dignified that one with a response. When it had become public knowledge that she was staying with one Kakashi Hatake, something she had Izumo to thank for, who had blabbed it to Kurenai, who had, in turn, told, well, everyone, the rumour mills gained traction again – the most popular rumour was that Kakashi had seduced Hanako away from poor Iruka, while others claimed she’d simply cheated on him and played both.

Hanako was particularly unhappy with that particular rumour – while it was still nonsense, it hit a little closer to how she was really feeling. As for Kakashi...she found out that people didn’t really dare gossip around him all that much, and thus he got off easy. In fact, the man was remarkably unaffected by, well, everything going on around them.

She still received gifts from him every morning, though now they sat on her night-stand, rather than her desk. Kakashi almost always woke before her, and often he was already gone for the day when she got up for school. He always left a note if he had to go on a mission, and while that was the case, Pakkun would inevitably wake her up in the morning to give her her gift, earning himself a few cuddles in the process.

All in all, Hanako was surprisingly happy with how things were going. She liked living with Kakashi, it felt...almost natural. After nearly three weeks together, there was only one thing that bothered her – Kakashi was the perfect gentleman, leaving aside his penchant for reading porn in public. She’d found his ‘stash’ of books so to speak and when he’d caught her reading one, he’d been quick to take it from her and pack them away – despite her assurances that she’d read worse.

No, the man never so much as looked at her in a lewd way, even if she purposely walked through the flat dripping wet and only wrapped in a towel. If she hadn’t known how he felt, she’d have assumed he wasn’t even aware that she was a woman at all. It was maddening.

She’d tried hinting and flirting, but neither had had any effect at all. Kakashi was more than happy to touch her and let her touch him – when he found the time, he often did her hair, or sometimes even rested his head on her lap while reading his books. Beyond that though...Hanako was just about fed up with his selective obliviousness.

She’d hatched a plan. On a Friday after her classes, she’d hurried home and started to make dinner early. He’d come home to a cooked meal and a bottle of warm sake, much to his surprise. Hanako had made all of his favourites, and afterward, they’d sat on the couch, next to each other, elbows touching, reading their respective books.

Suppressing a grin, she decided it was time to make her move. Putting her book down, she turned around to Kakashi. He was wearing his usual attire minus the flak jacket, pouches, bandages and hitai-ate, instead holding his eye closed through willpower. He was used to it, he’d explained when she’d asked about it some time ago.

Kakashi’s attention turned to her as soon as she’d put down her book. She’d turned and stood up, stretching a little. Stepping forward, he automatically pulled back his legs so that she could pass, but that wasn’t what she wanted – not this time. Quickly hopping onto the couch, she settled onto his lap, one leg on either side of his, sitting on his thighs. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders easily, and she smiled at him. 

Icha Icha – Violence, as she noticed disinterestedly – fell, tumbling from his fingers to the couch and to the floor. Hands slack by his sides, both of his eyes were wide open and riveted on her face. Hanako leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer until they were pressed against each other. Noticing that Kakashi had stopped breathing, she chuckled against his cloth-covered throat. “Breathe, Kakashi.” He nodded shakily and took a deep breath, only relaxing marginally.

“Wha-What are you doing?” “Isn’t it obvious?” she purred against his throat and he softly shook his head. Shifting her hips forwards, she enjoyed the way he groaned so quietly she could barely hear it. Running one hand down his arm, pulling it around her waist, she was about to do the same with the other when said hand snapped up and lightly caught hers.

Leaning back to look at his face, she was surprised to find sadness there, rather than arousal. “Please, Hanako-san. Please...don’t make me do this.” She froze. He released her hand and drew a shaky breath. Hanako felt hurt – did he really not want her? He’d insisted he did, before, but now she wasn’t sure.

Leaning back, she offered a subdued: “Do you...really not want me?” A heartbeat later, she felt herself being crushed against his chest, his masked face buried against her shoulder. He was shaking. “I do, so, so much, but please...don’t make me do this. I know I said I would, if you wanted me to, but I don’t know if I can...”

She relaxed in his near-painful hold. “I don’t understand.” He sobbed, quietly, into her shoulder. “Please, Hanako-san, I can’t be your rebound. I couldn’t bear it.” Understanding, finally she softly pushed against his hold. When he released her and leaned back against the couch, face averted, she forced him to look at her.

A tender smile on her lips, she lightly flicked a finger against his forehead. She’d been relieved to find no tears on his face. “Don’t be a fool, Kakashi. That’s not what this is. I just...want you. Have done for a while. I tried being subtle about it, but you weren’t reacting, so...”

Eyes wide again, he bit his lip under his mask. “You mean...I wasn’t imagining it? I thought...I thought I was just going crazy, getting turned on by you behaving normally. I never thought...” She snorted. Leave it to this man and his misguided honour to completely misunderstand.

Shifting herself back into the position she had been in, bodies pressed together, face against his neck, she relaxed against him, waiting for him to do the same. Eventually, he sighed and his tense muscles relaxed. “No, you didn’t imagine it. If I wasn’t trying to seduce you, why would I walk through the flat naked and wet with only a towel?” He shrugged.

“I assumed you were comfortable around me. It made me happy. Of course, it hurt a little to think that you didn’t even seem...aware of my feelings on the matter, but mostly I was glad that you trusted me so much.” She smiled against his throat. “Well, I was very aware. Or, I suppose I wasn’t since I didn’t think you’d assume I would...use you like that. I don’t want a rebound, Kakashi.”

He swallowed and she nuzzled closer. “But...I’ve often heard women say that the man they were with after a break-up was a rebound. It’s only been a month, and...” She shushed him with a finger on his masked lips. “Some women are like that. Others are not. Would you rather I go out and sleep with someone else, then come back to you?” His hands tightened around her waist. “No.” 

“Good.” Sitting in silence for a moment, he eventually spoke again. “Hanako-san, I don’t know what you...expect of me.” Sitting up and leaning back just enough to be able to look down to his face, one eye open and one closed, she ran her hands through his open hair. It was soft as ever.

“Tell me something, Kakashi...do you ever think about us like this?” He hummed. “Used to, maybe two or three times a day. Lately...every waking moment.” She giggled, flattered by his open admission. “And, in those...thoughts, what is it we do?” He moaned softly. “All...manner of things.” She chuckled and pressed their foreheads together.

“Such as?” He shifted underneath her and she grasped his hair to hold her balance. His breath came a little shorter – filing that away for later, she deliberately shifted against his body. Fingers curling harder against her waist, she felt herself held in place. “Kakashi...tell me.” “I-I can’t...Hanako-san...”

She chuckled. “So you read all that porn but you can’t tell me how you want to take me? No favourite position? Nothing you’d like to try?” She ground her hips down against him again, the fingers on her hips doing nothing to stop her. If anything, he pressed up and against her as well. She could clearly feel him through his soft uniform pants and it made her heart beat faster – she couldn’t wait for him to FINALLY take her clothes off.

“Ka-ka-shi...” She whispered. “It’s...hard to think.” He ground out. With a sigh she stood up, off him, ignoring his moan of protest, in favour of kneeling down between his legs instead. His eyes widened, almost impossibly, when he realised what she wanted to do. Hands scrambling to stop her from unzipping his trousers, Kakashi seemed a little out of it.

“You don’t have to-” She sighed. “I know. I want to. I’ve always liked doing this. I like seeing what it...does to my men.” He shuddered at her words. “Is that what I am? Yours?” She tilted her head a little. “You tell me. Are you?” He chuckled. “From the moment I met you...until the moment I die.” Pressing her face against his thigh so he wouldn’t see her blush, she grinned into the fabric of his trousers.

His hands didn’t try to stop her this time as she pulled him free of the fabric and made quick work of swallowing around him. She’d thought she’d enjoyed doing this before, but the way he reacted was something else entirely – moans, gasps, groans and towards the end, shameless begging for something, for anything, made her decide that she’d clearly missed out before because this was better than anything she could remember.

Swallowing him down when he came, she was a little surprised when he didn’t soften in her mouth. Releasing him from her swollen lips, she looked up at him. “So...can you think any better now?” “Huh?” She chuckled, voice quite rough. “You said it’s hard to think before. Is it better now?”

Kakashi groaned. “No, don’t think so. All I can think about is...you.” Smiling, pleased by his answer, she stood up. Taking his hand, she pulled him behind her, to her – technically his – bed. “Take off your clothes.” “Anything you want.” Once again pleased by his response, she also stripped out of her own. He was done first, standing a little awkwardly by his own bed. 

A slightly feral grin on her lips, Hanako made a show of slowly laying down on the bed, stretching out and rolling over onto her back a little like a cat might. Kakashi’s eyes were following her every move, while he lazily stroked himself. “Aren’t you going to come to bed with me?” She reached out for him and his hand pressed down on the base of his cock for a moment, as he shuddered.

“Just a second.” “But I want you...now...” she whispered huskily, well aware of the nature of his current struggle. One gasp later, he was kneeling between her spread thigh, his arousal heavy against her thigh, lazily thrusting against her skin. “Ne, Hanako-san, are you sure? If you want to stop, I can still-” 

Hooking one of her legs over his, she shifted to one side, and on the next thrust of his hips, he didn’t meet her thigh but rather lightly brushed against her entrance. Chuckling a little, she was surprised when, without a warning, he snapped his hips forward and buried himself into her completely.

She hadn’t expected it and winced a little. With a short groan, he pulled back and did it again, a little gentler this time. Adjusting herself a little the next time he pulled out, she rolled her hips upwards to meet him. Trembling, he pulled back, out of her completely. Hanako mewled in disappointment – rough as though he had been, she had liked it. “Sorry, if...like that, I might hurt you...” She smiled softly. Sitting up, she pushed him down instead, until he was laying down on the bed.

Holding him in place, she lowered herself onto him, moaning softly at the new angle. Shifting her hips in small circles, she enjoyed the way he rubbed against her. Leaning forward, she laid down on his chest, lifting her hips a little. “Take me, Kakashi. You won’t hurt me in this position, I promise.” Trembling hands grabbed a hold of her hips and pressed her back even as his own hips thrust up and against her body. 

It was rough, fast and it was JUST what she’d wanted. In minutes, she was gasping, thrusting back against him as much as he was thrusting up into her. Realising she’d had her eyes closed for a while, she opened them and looked down at the man below her. His eyes – both – were trained on her face, a steady gaze that made her shudder and tense in what was a good way for them both – if his moan was anything to go by.

Then his hands on her hips shifted slightly, tilted her the tiniest bit and suddenly Hanako felt her eyes fall shut again, her body tensing up, fingers clawing into Kakashi’s shoulders – and when had she even put her arms there? – and then she was coming, shaking softly as he thrust into her, three, four more times before he stilled his movements.

A few moments later, he slipped out of her and she collapsed next to him, both breathing hard. Hanako felt completely exhausted, limbs heavy and sluggish. To her surprise, Kakashi rolled out of bed and pulled the blanket up and over her, before, after hesitating, he slid under the blanket as well.

Cuddling close to his chest, she decided to ignore the way his fingers were trembling against her shoulders – she was just a little too tired to ask about it. Falling asleep next to Kakashi, Hanako felt safe – more so than she could remember feeling in a long time.

The following morning, she woke up alone. Confused for a moment, she stretched, the pleasant ache in her body reminding her of what they’d done the next day. Thinking through it all, she realised something else – Kakashi had taken off his mask the night before before they’d gotten into bed together...and she hadn’t even noticed.

Giggling to herself, she was a little surprised when footsteps approached the bedroom and a worried-looking Kakashi stepped in. “Mah, are you alright?” Still giggling, she nodded at him. He was wearing his mask again...that wouldn’t do. Beckoning him over with one finger, he came easily, kneeling down in front of the bed, bringing their faces about level. 

Shuffling forwards with a grin, she pulled down his mask and pressed her lips to his – they hadn’t kissed the night before, and Hanako had every intention of making up for that. Kakashi hummed, returning the kiss but not deepening it. Nipping his bottom lip, she got him to open his mouth, coaxing his tongue out of his mouth and into hers.

His hand snuck behind her head, pulling her forward more, while her hands wound themselves into his hair to angle him better, and then everything was perfect. Hanako could only think of two things – what a good kisser he was, and how she should have done that a LONG time ago.

Releasing him with a satisfied smile, she watched him pull his mask back up. “Mah, not that I’m complaining, but...what was that?” She stretched again. “Mh, just something I meant to do last night. Got distracted.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.” Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed next to him, Hanako yawned.

Feeling a hand encircle her ankle, she watched as he pulled her foot over to himself. He pressed a gently masked kiss to the top of her foot, making her giggle. Pressing his face against her calf, he sighed. “Hanako-san...” “Kakashi. You’ve had your cock in me. I’m pretty sure you can call me by my name now.” “...As you wish.”

She frowned a little. “Why so formal?” He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how you’d...feel about last night. Whether you’d regret it.” She snorted at the ridiculous notion. “Kakashi, I’ve been trying to seduce you for weeks. Why would I regret it?” Pausing for a moment, she gave him a contemplative look.

“...Do you?” He shook his head no and released her leg. “I’m glad. If you regretted it, that would mean no more of it and that’s just not an option.” Chuckling lightly, Kakashi sat back against the bed, facing away from her. “Have you...have you thought about the future?” “What do you mean?” “I know it’s...stupid to even bring it up, but...your apartment is almost finished. Will you go back? Can I maybe...make you stay?” Looking around, she smiled softly. “I don’t know, this place is a little small for two, don’t you think?”

He nodded softly, sadly she thought. “I understand.” “No, you don’t. I was going to say, we could always find something a little bigger together.” A smile so wide she could see it even with his mask on and his head tilted back as it was, he nodded.

“I suppose...” “Hm?” “Well, if you didn’t want to...rent something, there is the Hatake family compound.” She froze for a moment. “It’s been empty for a very long time, but it’s big and located close to the academy...you could have your own room, even your own floor, if you wanted your privacy...” Blushing – something she really hadn’t done before Kakashi – Hanako smiled to herself.

“Given up on the whole not-good-enough-for-me nonsense then?” He snorted. “No, I’m definitely not good enough...but I told you I would do anything for you, and if what you want is for me to aid you in this...mistake, then I’m not going to say no.”

Ruffling his hair lightly, she faked a sigh. “Mistake, hm?” “Eventually you’ll realise it and move on. That’s okay – I understand. But...until then, I’d be a fool if I didn’t enjoy you as much as I could.” Hanako glanced up at the ceiling – Kakashi’s way of thinking too lowly of himself was something she found both endearing and annoying.

At that moment, it was certainly more annoying than endearing. “You know, Kakashi...mistakes tend to have consequences.” “Very true.” “Since you think this one is oh-so-terrible, who knows...I might end up paying for it for the rest of my life.” Kakashi leaned his head against her knee. “Then I’d die a very happy man.” Smiling down at him as he looked up at her, she pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

Eyes closed, he sighed and nuzzled against her leg. “You know...when I first met you? At that ramen stand?” She nodded. “I didn’t even know your name yet and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And I felt so stupid for it because even I knew that wasn’t right...but it seems like maybe I knew it even then, somehow.” Hanako chuckled. “You’re supposed to be a genius, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “Only one thing that I can’t quite work out on my own.” “Oh?” “Mah, do you think you could ever...maybe just a little...” He broke off, voice rough, but Hanako knew what he was asking. “Kakashi Hatake, you’re the dumbest genius I’ve ever met.” Face blank for a moment, a warm smile – the warmest she’d ever seen on the man – spread over his face and he let out a shuddering breath.

What a stupid question. Of course she’d love him back, even if she wasn’t ready to say the words just yet. As it turned out it wouldn’t be too much longer until she could say them – exactly seven weeks, to be precise. That’s when, one visit to the Konoha hospital later, she sat him down for a little chat.

If asked later, Kakashi Hatake would deny until his last breath that he’d cried like a baby when she’d told him that she was pregnant. He would deny falling to his knees and thanking her for being in his life, and he would most definitely never admit to immediately starting to choose baby names either.

The Hatake family compound soon housed a real family again, for the first time in decades. There were five of them by the time Hanako decided to put a stop to it – three children were enough she’d said and he had agreed - reluctantly. He could always adopt more dogs instead, he’d suggested and quickly found himself on the business end of a certain tanto that his wife carried with her wherever she went. Promising to refrain from adopting any more dogs without permission, he’d laughingly escaped from the room – he had somewhere to be after all: Their son and daughter had to be picked up from the academy, and nursing their second daughter as she was, Hanako wasn’t quite up to it.

Kakashi would also deny whistling to himself as he went to pick up the two silver-haired children, even though he did it nearly every day. All three of them had inherited his colouring but otherwise thankfully took after their mother. At least that’s what he thought. Glancing at Kurenai, strolling the same way he was, keen to pick up her own daughter, he waved at her. 

She bowed lightly to him and he shook his head – he probably wouldn’t get used to people bowing to him any time soon, whether he was now Hokage or not. He hadn’t wanted the job, but Hanako had smacked him, called him an idiot and he’d accepted – he’d promised her he’d do anything for her after all, and that particular promise was easier to fulfill with every day they spent together – even after years and years together.

He woke up every morning looking forward to his day because he knew that she loved him and that’s all he needed to be happy – their children, their dogs, everything else was just a bonus.


End file.
